Laundromat
by dabbling
Summary: The laundromat becomes a regular haunt, and Bobby gets wrapped up in his neighbors' drama. B/A, eventually. Growing friendship with Logan. Some hurt/comfort, too.
1. Chapter 1

Laundromat

Chapter 1

Goren hauled his basket through the door and set it down in front of a short row of egg-shaped chairs. He picked up his book off the top and tossed it on the empty seat. Then he headed for an empty washing machine and set to work loading it.

He didn't measure the soap. Four dollars worth of quarters later, he carried his empty basket back to the chair and settled in with his book for some reading.

The door opened again, admitting a few excited moths along with the new customer. Bobby found he wasn't making much progress in his book. The laundromat was far too distracting. He moved his feet back out of the way of a woman's wheeled cart full of wet clothes. As she passed, her two children, up way past their bedtime, darted in and out of the aisles of washers and dryers, raising a general raucous as they went. She ignored them and went about her business, her eyes weary and glazed over.

Bobby slipped a couple of quarters into a gumball machine and retrieved some cheap trinkets. He gave them to the boys, hoping it would help keep them entertained. The woman thanked him with her eyes, and he settled back into the egg-chair again.

Before he'd finished another paragraph, he heard arguing coming from the back door of the place. He stared at his book, but his senses were on alert. At last, Bobby closed the book and made for the men's room, close to the back of the room. He heard the end of the argument, saw money changing hands. The loudest ones ran off into the night, and the other came in, face haunted, track marks up and down his arms. Bobby leaned against the wall and watched him move up and down the aisles, looking for an easy mark.

Bobby mentally catalogued the man's appearance: attributes, clothing, etc. He had a feeling it would be needed later. The two little boys resumed chasing each other on the open floor, tired of their trinkets. Bobby skirted around them and went back to his book.

_It's been a long time, _he thought. _At least I had the sense to change clothes after work. _He looked down at his worn blue jeans and his black t-shirt. No one would guess he was a cop. If it hadn't been for the state of his finances, he wouldn't be here. The past year had taken a heavy toll. He'd had to change a lot in his lifestyle just to be able to make ends meet. No more bar binges; dining out was rare; and he could no longer afford drop off laundry service. By his estimation, it would take about two years to work his way out of the hole, _if_ he could manage his impulsiveness and stick to the plan…

So he would be spending one night a week at this laundromat. By the looks of it, he might gain some valuable information about his neighborhood while here… His washer wrapped up the spin cycle, and he retrieved his clothes and shifted them over to the dryer. He dropped in another boat-load of change and started them spinning.

The woman was folding her clothes now, and starting to lose patience with her rambunctious boys. For every three items she folded, they unfolded one. She fussed at them and set them on the egg-chairs for a time-out. Bobby walked over and offered to give her a hand.

"No thanks," she said with a heavy accent.

He backed off. He'd only wanted to save her some time, but he could see she was a little creeped out that he had offered. Bobby sat back down, not wanting to scare her any more. Mentally, he berated himself. He wasn't in college, wasn't trying to pick her up… of course he'd scared her.

He watched another man come in, obviously high on something. The man went straight to the vending machine and started beating on it, cussing. All the customers watched him warily. The woman herded her children out into the night while Bobby's attention was elsewhere.

The man managed to break a bag of chips loose and snatched them out of the bottom of the machine. Then he left out the back door, into the alley.

Just then, the two little boys ran back in, crying. They ran straight to Bobby. "Help! Help!" They cried.

Bobby felt them latch onto his hands. He walked briskly out the door, letting them lead him down the street.

The woman was disoriented, a knot forming on her head. She sat against the rough bricks of an apartment building, relieved when she saw her two boys coming toward her.

"Someone mugged you?" She nodded. "Are you all right?" Bobby asked, squatting down. She nodded. "Has someone called for help?" he asked. She shook her head. He pulled out his cell phone, looking up and down the empty street as he waited for dispatch. "This is Detective Robert Goren. We need a unit and a bus at…" he rattled off the address. He pulled his shield out of his pants pocket and showed it to her. "What's your name?"

"Bella."

"Don't worry, Bella," he said. "I'm going to help you."

Based on his assessment, her bump on the head was the worst of her injuries. He stood by her and made sure the boys didn't wander off while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. "Can I call someone for you?" He asked her.

She looked at him as if she didn't understand.

"To help take care of you? Of the boys?"

"Martha," she said. "Martha Kohl."

He repeated the name in order to remember it. "What's Martha's number?"

The woman was unable to produce the phone number.

The older boy spoke up. "Miss Martha lives next door to us. I can go get her," he said, pointing to an apartment building up the street.

Goren shook his head. "No, you should stay with your mom. I can find Miss Martha after the ambulance comes."

He looked at Bella again. "Did you see him?" She shrugged. "Was it that…guy…?" Bobby made motions with his fingers on his bare forearm, indicating track marks. Bella's eyes widened, and she nodded. Bobby frowned, and held the boys' shoulders to keep them on the sidewalk as the bus pulled up, followed by two units. Once the EMTs were tending to Bella, he went and shook hands with the officers.

Bobby relayed what he knew and his suspicions. He glanced up often, checking that Bella's boys were staying with her. He gave the officers his card and told them he was going to track down the neighbor.

He waited until the bus pulled away, then strode up the street and to the apartment building. The lock on the front door was long broken. He opened the door, entered, and checked the names on the mailboxes. Number 16 said Kohl. He started up the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

He knocked urgently on her door, holding his badge where she could see it through the peephole. Even so, she was wary. She only opened the door as far as the chain latch would allow.

"Mrs. Kohl?" he asked politely. "You're friends with Bella, and her boys?"

"Yes," she said.

"Bella was just mugged, and she said you might be available to help with the boys. They're all on their way to North Central Hospital right now."

She unlatched the door and opened it. "Oh my God!"

"Do you… have a way to get down there?" Bobby asked.

"Y-Yes," she said, and repeated under her breath, "Oh my God…" She shut the door and went to change clothes.

Bobby Goren walked back out of the building and down the street to the Laundromat. His clothes were still in the dryer. Looking around, he found that his basket was gone, and his book was open on the floor. It looked as if it had been stepped on. He sighed and picked it up angrily, trying to brush the dirt off it.

* * *

"Alex, not that one. The blue one."

"Okay, Dad." She put the maroon blanket away and searched for the blue one without success. "Where is the blue one, Dad?"

"It's in there!" he grumped.

"No… Dad, it's not." She was losing her temper, too. "Did you have it out today already?"

"No! It's in the closet with the others. Do I have to go find it myself?"

"No, Dad! I'll find it." She frowned and walked out to the living room, where she found his blue blanket crumpled on the couch. "I got it!" she called, and walked to his room. He was already out of bed and on his way to get it himself.

"I told you it was in there," he said.

Alex bit her tongue. She was here to help, not to groan and whine and piss him off. "C'mon, Dad, get back to bed," she said softly.

"I don't need any help," he said.

"I know."

"You can go home, now."

"I will."

Once he was in bed, she shut the door to his room and sighed. Then she set to work picking up and cleaning.

* * *

Once his clothes were dry, Bobby carried them home in a plastic garbage bag he'd been given. He couldn't get Bella out of his mind. He dropped the sack of clothes and went right back out into the night.

The officers were just leaving the hospital when he arrived. "Hey, fellas," he said. "How's it going?"

"We just got her statement. I got a buddy, thinks he's seen the guy around. He's looking for easy money to score his drugs." The officer shook his head. "Good thing you were there. What she gave us wouldn't have been enough, by itself."

"Thanks." The officers left, and Bobby went up the hall in the direction they'd come from. The older boy saw him and ran to him, giving him a hug. Bobby smiled and tousled his hair. "Hey. How's your Mom?" he asked.

The boy took him to her room, where Mrs. Kohl was sitting with the younger boy, who'd fallen asleep on her lap. Bobby nodded to her in greeting. Bella was asleep.

"I am going to take the boys home with me," Kohl said.

"You need some help?" he asked.

She nodded, and Bobby picked up the sleeping child, and shifted him onto his shoulder. The boy wrapped his arms around Bobby's shoulders and sighed. He grinned at Mrs. Kohl. "I don't even know his name."

"That's Felipe, and this is Francisco." Francisco took her by the hand and they left the hospital. Bobby helped her get the children into her car.

"You'll come with?" she asked. "I can't carry him up the stairs."

"Sure," Bobby said. He got in the passenger seat.

"You will catch the man who did this?" she asked as she drove.

He stammered. "I-uh- it's not my case. I just happened to be… in the neighborhood."

"But you will help?"

"Yeah, the guys said they think they know who it is, already. I'm sure they'll catch him."

"Bella will have a hard time… without that money."

Bobby nodded, and she parked the car. He let Francisco out, and then scooped up Felipe in his arms. He helped her get the boy into bed, and said his polite goodbyes at the door, with another hug for Francisco.

* * *

Alex was late, and that put her in a bad mood. She'd missed her run this morning, and that put her in an even worse mood. She tromped into the elevator and turned around in time to see her partner catch the door with his hand. He hadn't shaved, and had bags under his eyes.

"Night out?" she asked.

Bobby shook his head, and seemed a little perturbed.

Alex chewed on her lip. Maybe it would be best to just keep her mouth shut today. Things with her Dad certainly would have gone better.

Bobby rubbed his temples and was the first one out of the elevator. She followed him to their desks, and sat down.

"Sorry, no coffee today," he said to her.

She shrugged. "It's all right. Want a cup of sludge?"

He nodded and dug a bottle of Tylenol out of his desk. Alex went off to pour two cups of Major Case coffee, hers heavily doctored with sugar and cream.

When she came back, he was on the phone. "Thank you, thank you," he said. "Good work, there." He hung up.

She set his coffee in front of him, a question on her face.

"Uhm… I, uh… a lady was mugged in my neighborhood last night. I… uh… I got her some help. Those were the boys from the precinct. They caught the guy."

Alex's heart melted. "Oh, Bobby, is she all right?"

"Yeah. They kept her in the hospital last night, but they told her boys she'd be all right."

"Her boys?"

"7 and 8, I'd say. Nice boys. Good kids."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They ate their lunch in the car on a stake out. It was hot, almost 96 degrees outside, and even with the windows down, the car was a hotbox. Alex took a bite of her sandwich and a piece of meat fell out, smearing dressing all over her blouse.

"Shit!" She picked it up and brushed her napkin against it. It only seemed to make it worse. A steady stream of curses poured out of her. While Bobby watched, she ended her tirade with the words "never should have gotten out of the Goddamn bed this morning!"

Goren sat in stunned silence for a moment. Quietly, he cleared his throat and said, "I could go buy you a shirt somewhere." He stared at her.

Alex bit her bottom lip and tried to calm down.

"Eames?"

"I'm sorry, Bobby… I…" She made eye contact with him briefly. "I've been taking care of my Dad, and I… I just have a short fuse."

"Your Dad? What's wrong with him?"

"He had one of those mini-strokes last week. My sister took care of him the first couple of days, and now it's my turn." She tried to smile, but failed. "I'm not very good at it."

Bobby listened intently, then touched her arm. "You stay put. You see any action, you call me." He climbed out of the car, went three doors down the street, and ducked into a tourist shop. He came back a few minutes later with a t-shirt in a bag. To his credit, he had chosen one that had a very discreet logo. She checked the tag. He'd even gotten the right size.

Alex looked at him. "Be right back," she said. She took the bag and went into the nearest restaurant. She came back out wearing the shirt. Bobby waved her over. He'd just seen their perp on the opposite side of the street. Bobby stood and jerked his head in that direction, facing Alex. She saw immediately and dropped the bag with her soiled shirt into the open car window.

She watched and told Bobby what she was seeing. He leaned against the car and tried to look like it was a casual conversation.

"He just went in # 212," she said. Bobby got out his cell and called for backup. She reached back into the car and got her fanny pack, which contained her weapon and her badge. Bobby's weapon was hidden under his loose, untucked shirt. They crossed the street together. Bobby took the lead into the building, Alex covering him from behind. At the first door, they picked up the building super, who followed them with his ring full of keys. They went up a narrow flight of stairs and knocked on a door. The woman who opened it let them in to look around her place. Once they had, they went up another flight to the next door. Bobby knocked, and no one answered. A tv was blaring inside. Bobby nodded to the super, who unlocked the door quickly and stepped back out of the way. They went in, guns ahead of them.

"Clear!" Bobby yelled after the first room.

Alex checked the bathroom. "Clear!"

Bobby moved toward a bedroom on his right. He knocked the door open with his foot. There was movement within, and Bobby yelled to identify himself. The perp threw everything he could get his hands on in Bobby's direction and headed for the window.

Bobby ducked and dodged, and finally a thick, hardback book hit him hard in the neck. He staggered from the impact and shook off the pain. Alex was beside him now, her weapon trained on the perp. "Stop right there," she warned.

He had one foot out the window, but realized it wouldn't do him much good to climb out there. The fire escape was from the back bedroom, not this one. This one offered nothing more than a tiny ledge. He didn't want to risk a jump to the next door awning. He held his hands up and climbed back into the room.

"On the floor," Alex said.

He did as he was told. She frisked him and cuffed him, while the uniformed officers came in to take him away. Alex turned to her partner, who was rubbing his neck.

"All right?" she asked him.

He moved his hand and let her look. He had a bruise starting.

"You want to get that looked at?" she asked.

"Well, how bad is it?" Bobby asked.

"It's bruised."

Bobby moved his head in a slow circle. "Nah," he finally said.

"All right," she said, and patted his back. "Let's go, then."

* * *

Bobby held an ice pack on his neck and watched from the observation room while Eames and the Captain interrogated their perp. They had enough evidence to satisfy the DA, but it would save a lot of time and money if they could get a confession out of him.

The Captain stepped out of the room and left Eames to work on him a while. He nodded at Goren. "How are you doing?"

"It's pretty sore," Bobby said, and cleared his throat.

Ross knew better than to suggest, again, that he get it looked at. He knew better than to send him home, knew Goren wouldn't go home until the interrogation was over. So he turned and watched Eames' work through the glass.

Bobby cleared his throat again.

At last, Eames got the man to admit what he'd done. She held the serious look on her face until they took him back out to holding, then breathed a huge sigh of relief. Bobby went in to congratulate her. He cleared his throat, "Good job, Eames." He cleared his throat again.

She looked at him with concern. "Maybe you should take something. Might be swollen."

Clearing his throat, he nodded. "Could be." They walked out of the interrogation room and back over to their desks, where he found a bottle of pills and took two. "You're going back to your Dad's?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Tonight and tomorrow, and then my sister in law will take over, if he still needs it."

"That's tough," Bobby said. "You can… call me… if you need to talk."

She smiled at him. "Thanks. You should rest. Heal up."

The headed out for the night, nodding their goodbyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Now, your mother, _she_ knew how to cook a pot roast." He pushed the food around his plate with his fork, but didn't take another bite.

"Sorry, Dad," Alex said, feeling again like she was a rotten caregiver. "You want me to fix you something else?"

He looked up, and for once noticed the effect his words had on her. "No," he said, taking a bite of a potato. "This is fine."

Alex watched him, and somehow felt even worse. She picked up her own plate and scraped the remnants of her meal into the trash can. Alex busied herself unloading, and then loading, the dishwasher.

* * *

As usual, Alex had been right. Since taking the ibuprophin, Bobby's neck was feeling better and he wasn't clearing his throat every couple of minutes. He was in his chair, looking for something decent to watch on tv when his cell rang.

"Goren," he said, once he'd made it across the room to pick it up. His face broke into a smile. "Oh, hi, Mrs. Kohl. No, that's great news. I'm glad to hear it. S-sure, I'll come over for dinner tomorrow night. Thank you. Say hi to the boys for me, and to Bella."

* * *

Alex lay on her father's couch, staring at the ceiling. He hadn't smoked in weeks; no one would buy his cigarettes for him. Somehow the place still smelled of it, though. She tried to figure out what was going on inside him. Her father was not one to talk about his feelings. He never had been. Alex smiled, wondering how he'd ever gotten her mother to marry him. Maybe he managed to talk about them a few times.

She tried to put herself in his shoes. He was a tough, proud man, who suddenly had a life-threatening event and required constant care by his children. He was pissed. He had to be. Alex would be. And, he was getting up in years. The word 'stroke' is one you always associate with old people… with death. Maybe he was a little scared, too.

But what to do about it? She had to take care of him, her family expected it. And if she did leave him to himself and something happened… Alex didn't think she could live with that. She turned onto her side and felt her head sink into the pillow. She closed her eyes, and her last conscious thought was that maybe, somehow, she could meet him halfway.

* * *

Bobby dropped the bag of Danish on her desk, and set the coffee carefully in front of her before sitting down with his own cup.

She looked up at him to thank him, and saw the glaring bruise on his neck. "That's some hickey you've got there," she teased.

"I know. I think I should stick around here today. No use in scaring the public, and it's too hot for a turtleneck." He sipped his coffee, looking at her with those penetrating eyes. "How's your Dad?"

Alex gave him a half-smile. "We had a better morning," she said as she took the danish out of the bag. She regretted the calories, since she couldn't make her usual run, but she would never, ever say that in front of Bobby. She loved this little morning ritual with him.

They fired up their computers and got busy with the mundane part of their job. Bobby started in on a report which was overdue, and Alex checked her email. "Heard any more about your neighbor?" she asked.

"Hmmm? Oh, uh, yeah. She's home from the hospital, and I've been invited to dinner."

Alex glanced over, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, it's nothing like that. Her next door neighbor, she took care of the kids, and she wants to have a dinner to celebrate."

Alex's eyes sparkled, and she said, "Sounds like fun." Her cell phone rang, and she dug it out of her purse. Looking at the name, she frowned. "Hi, Liz." Bobby tried to turn his attention back to his work, but the emotion that was coming from Alex was hitting him in waves. "He's been on his own for years, Liz. We can't just swoop in and micromanage his entire life."

Bobby glanced up at her twice, but she was staring blankly at the conjured image of her sister in her mind. He typed another three words before she spoke again. Her ire was up.

"Well, why don't we just let him decide?! I mean, if he doesn't like the person taking care of him, he's not going to do so well, is he?" A pause, and Alex set her jaw. "I know the cigarettes are bad, but do you honestly think that's worse than making him feel like he's helpless? At least I gave him some of his power back."

Bobby shuffled papers and tried to duck from the anger radiating across the desk.

"Fine. I'll see you tonight, then." She hung up the phone, then spun out of her chair and stormed off in the direction of the bathrooms.

Bobby took a minute to sit up straight, to shake off whatever it was that had just hit him. With most other people, he could stand by and watch this kind of thing with complete detachment, but somehow, when something was going on with Alex, it always hit him. It hit him deep, and hard.

When she returned, she'd regained her composure. "Looks like I have dinner plans tonight, too," she announced.

He looked over at her, but said nothing. He let her continue.

"Liz doesn't approve of how I helped Dad this morning. She wants to have a 'family meeting,' to discuss his care."

"Family meeting, what, with everyone?"

Alex let out a bitter chuckle. "Yeah. She's calling Johnny and everybody."

"Maybe you should call them, too?" Bobby was shooting in the dark. He had no idea how she should handle her family.

Her words came out louder than she'd intended. "No. It's Dad's life, and no matter what the rest of them say, it's what he says that matters. All I did was buy him a pack of cigarettes, for Christ's sake."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Good evening, Mrs. Kohl," Bobby said, and handed her a small bunch of flowers.

She took him warmly by the hand and led her into the apartment. "Bella and the boys will be here soon," she said. "Come in, come in."

Bobby came in and sat down on her couch, which sank considerably under his weight. He shifted position a few times until he was somewhat comfortable.

Martha brought him a glass of iced tea, and he thanked her. He still wore his suit and tie from work, and it was a little hot in the jacket. His first sip drained half the glass. "That's very good," he said.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Martha welcomed her neighbors inside. Bobby struggled to get up from the sagging couch, and accepted enthusiastic hugs from the boys. Bella approached him shyly, and he held out his hand. "It's good to see you," he said.

"I… don't know how to thank you, officer-"

"Goren," he said quickly. "Bobby. And I was just doing my job."

"Come now, let's eat," Martha announced. He sat respectfully while the boys led the group in prayer of thanks. They were sure to include their Mom, and their Mom's hero.

He was embarrassed by the attention, so he quietly filled his plate as the dishes were passed around the table. Francisco was quick to break the ice. "Have you ever shot anybody?"

"Uhm, I-"

"Cisco!" Bella shushed the child.

"It-it's all right. He's just curious," Bobby said. "Francisco, I try not to use my weapon. I don't like to hurt people."

"Do you have your gun right now?" Felipe asked.

"Y-yes."

"Can we see it?" Both boys asked in unison.

"No. It's not a toy. I don't get it out unless I think I have to."

"Can we see your badge?"

Bobby reached into his pocket. "Sure." He passed the shield to Felipe, and watched as it drifted around the table. Everyone, adults and children had a look.

"Is it real gold?"

"I don't know. I think gold plate, maybe."

"I thought badges were silver."

"Mine's special," he said, "because I'm a detective." As he replaced his badge in his pocket, he explained. "My job is a little different from the guys in the patrol cars. They catch people when they commit a crime. I have to go in when a crime has happened, and kind of… figure out what happened after the bad guy got away. Then I have to find the bad guy and arrest him."

"Did you catch the man who hurt Mama?"

"No, some other detectives did that. I just helped get the ambulance."

"I'm going to be a detective when I grow up," Felipe announced.

"Me, too," said Francisco.

Bobby laughed softly. "Well, boys, it's a good job, but it doesn't pay much. You might want to be doctors or lawyers instead." He smiled at the other adults at the table, who nodded.

* * *

Alex looked around the table. "I thought this was a family meeting," she said. "Where's Dad?"

Liz frowned at her sister. "Terry took him out shopping, to give us time to talk."

Johnny shifted uncomfortably in his chair. It was just the three of them.

"And I suppose you think he shouldn't have any say in what we decide here?" Alex asked. Her brother looked down at the table in front of him.

"Well, if you're going to have an attitude about it, I'm not sure there's any point," Liz snapped.

Alex bit her tongue and took a slow, deep breath. When she spoke, it was very controlled. "I know you are upset about my decision to buy him a pack of cigarettes. The truth is, it was the best thing that happened between me and Dad all week."

"Cigarettes were the best thing!" Liz cried. "Are you trying to kill him?!"

Alex started to argue just as fervently as Liz was attacking her. John raised his palms in front of them. "Girls, girls…" He raised his voice. "Let's try to be… civil, here, all right?" His sisters were immediately silent, but gave each other harsh stares. "Look, I already talked to Liz this morning. Liz, do you mind if I just take Alex out for a walk or something so I can talk to her, too?"

Her gaze went back and forth between them. "Of course not."

"All right. Alex, c'mon. Liz, we'll hash this out when we get back." He stood and followed his sister out the door.

Johnny knew better than to say anything for the first block. When they reached the corner, he could see the anger was still burning in her eyes. "Race you to the Church?" he asked.

She perked up right away. It was something they had done together as kids. When the sign changed to "walk," they bolted across the street and up to the next block. Alex won by three paces, and bent over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Her brother did the same. He smiled at her, and they walked across the street and up one more block.

"So what happened?" he asked.

Alex sighed. "Johnny, I'm no good at this. No matter what I did, Dad just snapped and snapped and bit my head off. He was miserable. And I was miserable."

Johnny nodded. "He was pretty snippy with me on the phone, too. Even when Liz was there."

Alex stopped walking and turned to her brother. "See what I mean?" She fought back tears. "I don't want to lose him, Johnny! But if his life is nothing but anger and misery, what kind of life is that?"

Johnny listened, then threw his arm easily around her shoulders. "So what did he do when you got him the smokes?"

"I took him out for his breakfast this morning. I went next door and bought him a pack, and set it by his cup of coffee." She looked her brother in the eye. "You should have seen the look on his face, Johnny. He was completely different after that. He was… Dad again, you know?"

Johnny nodded. "They're not good for him."

"I know that. Hell, he knows that. But he's not a baby. He should be making these decisions, not us."

They walked comfortably back to the apartment, where Liz was absently watching tv and waiting for them. "I'm sorry," Alex said.

"I'm sorry, too," her sister replied. They all sat at the table again.

Johnny was the first to speak. "Look, I think we can all agree that we're worried about Dad." Everyone nodded. "And that he's hard to care for." More nods. "Liz, I love you, and I don't want him to smoke any more than you do, but I have to tell you, I agree with Alex. Dad has to be in charge of his own life. Our job is just to help him with whatever he needs."

"But, Johnny-"

"I know, but Lizzie, look at it this way: You've been eating chocolate your whole life, right?" She nodded. "If you had a stroke, and were told to cut it out, could you? Could you really?"

"It would be hard, but I-"

"And what if I was the one telling you not to eat it," Alex said. "You'd be pissed."

Liz sighed. "Well, I'm not going to let him smoke when I'm around."

Johnny and Alex shared a meaningful glance. Johnny decided humor was the best approach. "I guess you and I will be the favorites, then!" He said to Alex, and they shared a high five.

Liz looked sad, and after the laughter died down, Alex took her sister's hand. "Liz, I think we can ask him to cut back, help him with that, even. But I think he needs to know he's the one making the decisions."

Before Johnny got the food on the table, his sisters were crying and hugging each other.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Bobby, for once, was happy. Once they'd gotten past the awkwardness, the conversation came more easily. The boys were put to bed and the adults chatted for an hour before he finally headed home.

Bella was 30. Her husband had left them when the boys were 3 and 4. She worked as a teller at a bank, and had worked there for 6 years. Martha was newly retired from her job at a factory. She was enjoying her newfound freedom, but was a little bored.

They'd noticed the bruise on his neck, and he shrugged it off while the boys were up, but once they'd gone to bed, he shared the story with the women. They looked concerned, but he assured them it was all right.

He left with a promise to drop by and see them on the weekend.

He emptied his pockets, put away his gun and badge, and changed out of his clothes. Tomorrow was Friday, and he was looking forward to a weekend off.

* * *

"Hey," she said cheerfully as he dropped her danish on her desk and handed her the coffee. "It's looking better," she commented as she raised the paper cup to her lips.

He nodded and smiled at her. "You're looking better," he said in return, as he sat down in his desk chair. "Things went well?"

She nodded. "Johnny stayed with him last night, and I got to go home. How was your dinner?" she asked.

"Fine," he said. "They're nice people."

He started up his computer and sorted through the papers he'd left on his desk. She sipped her coffee and stared at him until he felt her silent pressure and looked up. "And?"

"And what? We had dinner, and we talked."

"What's she like?"

Bobby could see where this was going. "She's… too young for me."

"How young?"

"30."

"That's not so terribly young."

"I could be her father, Eames."

Alex made a face and let him off the hook. She pulled the danish out and broke off a piece with her fingers.

Their morning paperwork was interrupted when the Captain walked briskly to their desks. "School shooting," he said grimly. "PS 126."

Alex stood. That wasn't far from where she'd grown up.

"Get down there, see what you can find out." They were already walking, Bobby pulling on his suit jacket, switching his binder from one hand to the other as he got his arms in the sleeves.

* * *

The place was still in a frenzy, but with a morbid quiet settled over it. They pinned their shields on and crossed the tape, past the lines of worried parents who were waiting to be reunited with their kids.

It was a high school, old but no more run down than most. They found the lead detective on the scene, who filled them in. "Happened about 20 minutes ago. There were two gunmen. They broke loose in the library and then randomly hit people in the halls. One perp entered a classroom and opened fire. The kids say when he heard the sirens, he shot himself. The other… disappeared.

He handed over one photograph. "This is the one that killed himself, Brent Mayfield. The other one was new to the school. We've got the sketch artist interviewing kids now. A couple of cell phones with some short video, but the quality is poor."

"Thanks," Bobby said, tucking the picture into his binder. They headed to the classroom where the first perp's body lay.

The floor was filthy with the blood of several victims. The perp lay dead near the doorway, and the bodies of five others lay scattered about the room, the teacher among them.

"This body was moved?" Bobby asked.

"We had to get the ones who survived out. 3 went to the hospital. The others are gathered in the gym with an army of school counselors."

The officer handed over a list of names, and Bobby nodded as he stuffed it inside his binder. Eames was looking over the other victims. "They were huddled up on the floor," she said. "The teacher… he must have blocked whoever was behind him."

"This boy, too," Bobby said, looking at the victim second from the left. They turned to each other, then left CSU to do their work. They walked down the hall to the library. The hall had its share of blood, too, but no bodies. Apparently everyone in the hall had survived.

The library was host to three more victims. One was slumped over a table, where she had been studying. The others were on the floor near the table. "First shot, caught her by surprise," Alex said. "These two tried to get away."

Bobby nodded. "It gave the others time to hide in the stacks." He pointed to a book with a broken binding on the shelf. "Bullet," he said. The CSU people came over and took pictures, then extracted the book from the shelf and sealed it in a plastic bag.

Again, at a glance, Alex and Bobby left the room. They spoke to each other quietly as they slowly walked the hall, in the direction of the classroom they'd been in before. They were careful not to step on any blood.

"Usually they kill themselves when they're done," Alex said. She looked up at her partner. "So how does one get away?"

Bobby held a hand out in front of him. "There's a lot of… commotion… screaming, running…"

They walked past several classrooms, and several other rooms: bathrooms, custodial closets, storage rooms. They even walked past a set of doors that led to the schoolyard. Bobby stopped walking, a question on his face. Alex waited, but instead of asking her, he spun around and grabbed the nearest officer walking by. "Are… all the students accounted for?"

"I don't know," the man said. "Hold on a minute." He got his cell out and dialed someone. As it rang, he explained to Bobby. "Radio silence. They don't want the press listening in." Someone answered the other end of the line. "Hey, Makowsky, see if anybody's got an accounting of the students. Yeah. The detectives are asking." They waited a few minutes. "Okay, thanks."

He ended the call and looked up at Goren. "There are 53 unaccounted for. School staff figures they ran, and just kept running."

He looked over at Alex knowingly. "What about the second gun? Has it been found?"

"Not yet."

Bobby pursed his lips, then said, "We need to search every inch of this school. Start with the rooms in this hallway."

"You got it," he said, and got back on his phone as Bobby handed him his card. Bobby and Alex went out the doors to the schoolyard.

"You think he ran off with the others?"

He nodded. "He had a better chance that way. If he tried to hide amongst them, someone would surely ID him."

"We have to get all these kids accounted for." She pulled out her phone and dialed the Captain. "Captain, we need to get something to the press. A message, that all students and their parents need to contact the school. We've got about 50 kids who ran off during the shooting. We think one of them is the second perp." She listened to him, then hung up. "Apparently the district has a phone web they use in emergencies as well. He's going to send it out via that, too."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N I know the weather's crazy hot and all of a sudden school is in session. So I decided it's early September. Hey, with global warming and all, it's probably still hot. :)

Chapter 7

Looking around the yard, they saw several places where it would have been easy to get over or under the fencing. They turned and went back inside the building. The first detective who'd briefed them skirted around the people searching the building and jogged over. "Detectives, the Principal would like to speak with you."

They followed him to the gym, which was teeming with excited and upset kids. They waited outside the doors while he brought the woman out to them.

She shook their hands. "Detectives, I'm just wondering when we can reunite these children with their families."

"Uhm, we only need to speak with the ones who… witnessed firsthand. You can send the others home."

"And just have the families of our witnesses join them in here. No reason to keep them apart," Alex added. She looked at the woman. "And the victims?"

The local's detective spoke up. "My guys can take care of that," he said, and nodded to the principal. After a few minutes of sorting the kids in the gym, a long line of students was escorted out to the front of the building, where there were many tearful reunions.

Alex worked with the assistant principal to escort the families of the others inside the building. Once inside, the parents were sorted into two groups, and some were led to hear the worst news of their lives.

Bobby and Alex walked with the other group to the gym, where they watched as the kids and parents ran to each other and cried. After several minutes, Alex got on the PA, with Bobby at her side.

"Excuse me," she said, and the room slowly quieted. "I am Detective Eames. Unfortunately, we still need to get statements from your children, so it will be a little longer before you can go home. Please stay in the gym until one of our detectives has spoken with you. Mr. Ashton will direct you where to go for your interview. We know this is very difficult for everyone, and we will do our best to get you out of here as quickly as possible. Thank you." As she handed the mic back to the AP, Bobby nodded his approval.

Bobby enlisted the help of the few detectives from the local precinct who were still on site, and the AP gave them each a quiet space in the next classroom down to work in. Just before Bobby started the interview with his first student, his phone rang.

"We found the weapon," was all the officer said.

"Okay, thanks." Bobby hung up and solemnly greeted the boy and his parents.

* * *

While some detectives interviewed the witnesses at school, other teams worked at the hospital with the injured survivors. Three hours later, when Bobby & Alex wrapped up, their final student interviews, they touched base.

Alex's face was drawn; his was tired. A massacre was a hideous thing, and story after story after story had eventually broken through the cracks in their armor. They didn't compare notes on the interviews yet, just forged ahead.

"I'm going to have the others work with the staff," she said. "Did we ever get that artist's sketch?"

Bobby unzipped his binder and carefully extracted it. "I got a name from a couple of the kids. Let's take that sketch to the office, see if they can verify his ID and pull his records." Bobby nodded and followed his senior partner down the hall.

The office was crowded with people. When Alex & Bobby identified themselves, they were led to the AP's office. "My name's Harvey Winchell, I'm an associate superintendent," the man said. "We've brought in some extra help from the district offices. What was it you needed?"

"We need to speak with the school registrar," Bobby said.

"I'll get her." He disappeared out the door and came back ten minutes later with a small woman who looked like she was on the verge of retirement.

They introduced themselves and Mr. Winchell shut the door as he left them.

Bobby showed her the sketch. She raised hand to her mouth. "He's new," she said. "Just enrolled this year."

"You know his name?" Alex asked.

She shook her head in frustration. Alex pulled out her notepad and read a name. It didn't ring a bell, and the woman started to cry. Bobby got up and left the room while Alex tried to comfort her.

He came back about ten minutes later with his arms full of cumulative record folders. He set them down in two stacks. "These are the males who have not yet checked in, and these are the males who have." He opened the first one and saw the student's picture. He looked nothing like the suspect. Bobby closed it and opened the next. The registrar followed his lead, and so did Alex.

"Here we go," Alex said. "Enrolled September 8. That was last week. No picture, but his middle name is Corey. That's the name I got from the kids."

She showed the file to the registrar, who agreed that it could be him. "We still haven't received his records from his last school," she commented.

Then the file slid across the table to Bobby. "He's already 18. His birthday was September first." He shared the information for Alex's benefit.

"What if you're wrong, and it's not him?" The older woman asked.

Alex gave her a reassuring smile. "We're very good at what we do. If we're wrong, we'll let him go." Alex thanked the woman for her help while Bobby got permission from the district reps to copy the boy's thin file.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Alex had to ask her sister-in-law to stay with her Dad that night. She and Bobby stayed at 1PP until late. By 6 p.m., all the missing students, except Robert Corey Hayse, were accounted for. They sent out an APB with the artist's sketch to every police department within arm's reach of New York City. The news media got the story directly from the families of the victims, and it was plastered on every news station from the US to Japan. A Prayer Vigil was held in front of the school that night.

Bobby and Alex went to his mother's apartment at 6:30. She was slightly tipsy, and teetered emotionally between anger and sorrow. Mrs. Hayse was 40 years old, with a minimum wage job and a less-than cozy apartment that was all she could afford. Aside from the framed pictures on the bookshelf, there was little evidence of a teenage boy in the apartment.

"He moved out," was all she said. "As soon as he turned 18, he took his things and left."

Alex frowned. "And you have no idea where he went?"

"We've only been in the city for three weeks. I don't know where he would go."

"You moved here from…?" Bobby coaxed her gently.

"Tallahassee."

Then followed all the necessary questions: Did he have a girlfriend, car, money? Relatives or friends between here and Florida? How resourceful was he? Was he likely to call home when the money ran out?

They took notes and left their business cards in case he should contact her. Bobby was thoughtful on the way to the car. Alex did not disturb him; it was the beginnings of a profile, one that would help them sniff out the trail.

* * *

The next stop was the most painful: The parents of the other shooter. It seemed their son was the only friend Corey had in New York City, and they were, therefore, the best source of information that could lead them to him.

The two were red-eyed from crying. The apartment was drawn up tight, curtains closed, lights dimmed, and phone unhooked. The only reason they'd gotten in was the gold badge visible in the peephole.

Bobby and Alex sat on the couch. "We're very sorry for your loss," Bobby said quietly.

The father bristled. "You're the only ones, then." His wife gulped and tears fell from her eyes again.

Bobby lowered his head and nodded. "It's not your fault," he said. "The research in… these cases… is extensive. Most parents had no idea their child was contemplating… such an act."

The mother picked a photograph up off the coffee table. She showed it to them both. In the picture, her son was sitting in front of a birthday cake with 6 lit candles. "He was such a sweet boy," she cried. Her husband held her as she sobbed.

"Mrs. Mayfield," Alex said gently, "I can't imagine what this must be like for you. But we are here because we need your help." She waited until the woman was able to look her in the eye. "The other boy, Corey… we have to find him. We need to know anything you can tell us that might help us find him."

"He… he was Brent's friend," she began, and her husband stood and paced out into the kitchen, where he grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Bobby got up and quietly edged the room, until he found himself in the kitchen, as well.

"He was over here every night last week," the man said. "He slept on that couch twice." He took a heavy swig from the can. "Brent told us his mom threw him out." His jaw twitched and he looked at Bobby. "I wish now we had, too."

* * *

Neither one of them managed much of a meal, but since neither had eaten since breakfast, they had to try. By midnight, Bobby was bunked out in the locker room, lying perfectly still while his stomach did flips.

Alex, on the other hand, made it as far as her Dad's. She knew she'd have to hit it early to work in the morning, and felt guilty about asking her sister-in-law to fill in. Melissa was asleep on the couch, so Alex dug the maroon blanket out of the closet and crashed on the recliner. The least she could do was make them breakfast in the morning.

* * *

Alex's phone rang at quarter til six. "Eames," she said. She was already on her second cup of coffee and had the last three pancakes cooking on the stove.

"Morning," he said. He sounded like a gravel road. "We got some calls from the media alerts. A couple of sightings down in Newark."

"I'll be in by 6:30," she said. "Or do you want to meet me somewhere?"

"Where are you? Maybe I'll come pick you up," he said. Bobby needed to get away from the office, especially after his miserable night.

"I'm at my Dad's."

"I'll come out."

"You want some pancakes?" Alex offered.

Bobby put his hand on his stomach. "I might need a rain check on that," he said, and hung up.

* * *

John Senior insisted he join them for breakfast, and Bobby had to admit, the smell was inviting. He sat down to breakfast with the others. Alex finished first, and noted the bags under his eyes, along with his unshaven face. The others in her family knew what case she was working. Melissa started washing the dishes and shooed the detectives on their way. Alex kissed her Dad on the cheek and promised to call him later. Bobby shook his hand, and offered a friendly wave as they headed out the door.

"You were up all night?" She asked him, as she settled into the driver's seat.

Bobby shook his head. "Not by choice."

"Sick?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

Alex knew the feeling. Sometimes it was hard to tell if it was the case, or a real virus. "Go ahead and rest," she said. "I'll kick you when we hit I-95."

"Thanks," he mumbled, as he tilted the seat back and closed his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Although the hum of the road lulled Goren into sleep, Alex couldn't afford to get so relaxed. She found a radio station playing 70's music and mentally sang along. When she saw the signs for I-95, she shook his arm.

He stretched as best he could and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Then he navigated her in to the precinct that had processed the sightings. By some miracle, there was a Starbucks across the street from the police station. While Bobby dug his binder out of the back seat, she ran across the road and bought them each a venti.

Once they were settled inside, they got the written reports of the statements and reviewed them. Bobby asked the local detective about the neighborhood. "Many kids there? Girls?"

"Yeah, it's pretty popular with the kids. Movie theater, fast food, you know."

"Drugs? Guns?"

"Some drugs. One gun shop, been there forever. Pawn shops, too. And a couple tattoo parlors."

"Our guy, he doesn't know anybody. We don't think he has much money, either."

"Youth Hostel, on Vine Street. I'll get you a map," he said, and walked off.

Bobby looked over at his partner. "He's going to go where he's comfortable, where he's accepted. Other teens won't pick up on… on his… mental state, assuming he's with it enough to function."

"Which he probably is or he wouldn't have escaped the city."

Bobby agreed. "He's pinching pennies. It's a long way to Florida, if that's where he's headed."

The officer returned and handed Bobby a paper print out of a Newark map. It was a close-up of only this side of town. "You see anything, you give us a call," he said, handing Alex his card.

"You bet," Alex said. She finished off her coffee and chucked the cup into the trash. She didn't notice Bobby's cup left behind on the detective's desk. They made a pit stop before they left, and Alex found herself milling around by the front door, waiting for him.

"Sorry," he said when he finally came out to join her.

"You up for this?" She asked.

He nodded.

* * *

The young woman saw them come in. She hopped up off the couch, where she was watching a movie, and went around behind the counter. Alex and Bobby shared a look before stepping over to talk to her. They showed their shields, and Bobby held out the artists' sketch. "Have you seen this man?"

She furrowed her brow. "I think so. Looks like a guy who stayed here last night." She looked up at them. "He's not here, though. He went out pretty early this morning." She stepped out from behind the counter and motioned for them to follow her. They went up the stairs of the old house and into a room full of bunk beds, some with people sleeping in them.

The woman whispered. "Looks like he left his bag." She pointed to a duffel that lay on the last bunk.

Bobby picked it up and carried it over to a chair that was near a window. He unzipped it and went through it carefully. Then he replaced it on the bunk. They walked back downstairs, and thanked the woman. She sat back down to her movie and Bobby and Alex conferred in the doorway.

"All summer clothes."

"He's not planning to stay around here for long. It's supposed to get down into the 50's next week," she said.

"There was a magazine, " he said. "Arizona Highways."

"Shit."

"We can call the local, stake out this place. Maybe he'll come back for his bag."

"If he hasn't already seen us," she said, and they walked out.

* * *

Alex left Bobby in the diner across the street and went to swap their NY-plated car for a local rental. He had the local PD for back-up, so she knew he'd be fine. He ordered a cup of coffee, and carefully sipped from the mug, his eyes on the window. He laid a fiver down on the table and took another sip.

The waitress wanted to make small talk. He tried to be kind, but came off short. He couldn't make chit-chat, he had work to do. Just before she went back to the kitchen, Bobby asked for a piece of toast.

"White or wheat?" She asked.

His eyes went back to the window. "Wheat."

He managed to eat two bites of it before he caught sight of Corey on the opposite sidewalk. Bobby burst out of the place and ran full speed across the street. The Jersey cops followed his lead. Corey hopped a fence and raced into an alley. Bobby scaled the fence and ran down the alley after him.

With his long stride, Bobby caught up to him. He tackled him easily and restrained him until the local cops came and stuffed him into a patrol car. When Alex arrived, he was sitting on someone's back stoop, trying to catch his breath and stop shaking. She squatted in front of him and smiled.

"Good work, Bobby." She didn't say anything about how he looked, just continued to watch him.

He nodded and lowered his head between his legs, hands back behind his ears. "I think I gotta eat something," he said.

She got some crackers from one of the Jersey cops and handed them to him, along with a bottle of water. After a few bites and a drink, he sat up a little straighter. "Look," said Alex, "why don't you catch a ride with one of these guys. I'll meet you over there."

He nodded and she helped him up and into the front seat of a waiting cruiser. Her hand lingered on his arm for just a moment before she shut his door.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It took some time to complete the paperwork to extradite Hayse from New Jersey back to New York. Bobby was tucked onto a couch in the break room while Alex took care of the business. Alex came in at noon carrying two large Styrofoam containers.

He sat up and rubbed his neck.

"Soup," she announced.

"Thanks," he said. He opened the lid carefully and smelled the broth.

"We can head out after lunch. Everything's squared away." She took a few spoonfuls of soup, and watched her partner do the same. "I could drop you at home, on the way."

Bobby shook his head. "I want to talk to him."

"Bobby, you're sick. And we don't need a confession. We have enough evidence-"

"I'm not after a confession," he said. "I'm after the…truth! We owe that…to them…to at least make the effort."

Alex nodded quietly. "I just hate to see you sick. I don't suppose you'd let me do it for you?"

The answer was in his eyes. She lowered her gaze and smiled. "I didn't think so."

After another spoonful, he put the carton down on the table. "Tastes like cardboard," he said in disgust. Then he got up and left the room.

* * *

He seemed a little better when they arrived back at 1PP, but she knew he'd thrown up again. He sipped carefully from a fountain soda and refused to eat anything. Alex tried again to send him home, but it was no use.

After a brief meeting with Ross, they went into interrogation with Corey Hayse. He recoiled slightly when he recognized Bobby, but Bobby sat down calmly and opened his binder. He held his pencil in his hand, poised, ready to write.

"We'd like a statement, Mr. Hayse," Alex said to get the ball rolling.

He turned his head away.

"Now… c'mon," Bobby said, with a smile of disbelief, "you… you didn't follow the rules. People who do these kinds of things, they don't run off to Arizona afterwards."

Corey looked up at the word Arizona. He was shocked that the cop knew. His wheels were spinning, trying to find a way out. "Brent. He said we had to do it. Those kids bullied him his whole life, and he wanted revenge."

Bobby stared at him in silence while Alex leaned against the wall, her arms folded across her chest. "That's it, huh?" Bobby said. "You're just going to put it all on Brent."

Corey sat and stared at the detective across from him. "He said we had to."

"Unlike you, Mr. Hayse, I was in that school building _after_ it was all over. I saw… the bodies. I saw the blood." Bobby ran his hand over his face and looked away. "You know, you blame Brent, his family blames you… the fact is, there were two weapons firing. Two sets of hands sending bullets into people. Nobody _made _you pull the trigger, Corey. _You_ made that call." Bobby dropped his hands and looked Hayse in the eye. "At least Brent… he saw what he did. He musta felt some kind of remorse for it. He sentenced himself to death."

Corey's leg bounced under the table. "Who the hell are you to judge me?" he hissed. "You are nothing more than a speck of dirt in my eye. I pass judgement, _not you!" _ He stood and leaned over the table, getting in Bobby's face.

Alex stepped forward just as quickly. "I wouldn't do that, Hayse," she said.

Bobby said nothing, but stared him down.

The teen backed off, then suddenly lunged at Bobby. Alex had him in a restraint before Bobby had time to blink. As the uniformed officers cuffed him and led him out, Bobby scooted his chair back slowly. He looked over at his partner and shook his head. "I'm going home," he said. Bobby closed his binder and walked out of the room.

Anyone else would have thought his slow pace was because he wasn't feeling well. Alex, however, understood that he was full of sadness.

* * *

"You caught him?" John Eames asked.

"Yeah, Dad. He's a pretty messed up kid." Alex tossed her keys down on the table. Melissa had left as soon as she'd arrived, eager to be back home with her teenagers. Alex turned to her father. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Yes, honey, just finished. Melissa made enough for you, too."

Alex smiled at the old man, and kissed him on the cheek. He was like a completely different person than he was two days ago.

"You tell Bobby that I'm proud of him," the old man said. Then he touched her arm. "I'm proud of you, too." He went into the living room, lit up a cigarette, and turned on the television.

Alex ate her dinner alone in her father's kitchen. Her thoughts turned to Bobby. On the one hand, she understood why he wanted to talk to Corey Hayse, but on the other she couldn't fathom why he put himself through that. Now Bobby would mourn not only the loss of the ones mowed down by bullets, but also the mentally ill perpetrators of the crime. Because of his mother, he knew that treatment could have changed everything. The right medications might have prevented this entire tragedy.

And to top it off, he was ill. Absently, Alex fingered the tiny cross she wore at her neck. It had been an anonymous gift after her abduction, but she knew without a doubt he'd gotten it for her. Touching it now, she said a silent prayer for him, and resolved to call him in the morning.

* * *

Bobby sat with his feet up. His eyes were closed, but he could not sleep. His mind was churning faster than his stomach. With some effort, he opened his eyes and flipped channels until he settled on an historical documentary. Then he closed his eyes and listened to the narration.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Bobby awoke, not because of the sun that was streaming in over his face, or the uncomfortable matted feeling of his hair, but because he was hungry. Ravenously hungry. He got up out of bed and perused the kitchen cabinets. He found a cheap can of soup and heated it up in a pan on the stove.

While he waited for it to warm, he found his thoughts turning to Eames. He grinned, remembering how she protected him from Corey Hayse. She had his back, whether it be protecting him from perps, or just bringing him a cup of soup when he couldn't manage to keep anything down.

He transferred his meal to a bowl and sat down at the table to eat. He thought about her, how he took her presence for granted. She'd been at his side for so long, he rarely recognized the miracle of it anymore. Bobby hoped, for her sake, that her Dad was doing well.

After a much-needed shower, he was tired but feeling well. He pulled on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and his gray hoodie. Then Bobby headed out. He had a promise to keep.

* * *

"Don't you have your own house to tend to?" he asked grumpily. Alex dropped the handful of papers into the trash, and he immediately pulled a catalog back out. "Not this one!" he said, taking it with him to the kitchen table, where he sat.

She bit her tongue and poured him a cup of coffee. "Good morning, Dad," she said.

"When will you children leave me be?" he asked.

Alex pressed her lips together. "When's your appointment?" she asked.

"Tomorrow. Liz is taking me."

"I'm sure we'll do whatever the doctor says is best."

"Hmmph! Doctors!" he turned the page in the catalog and shook out a crease. "I'm fine."

"You want eggs?" asked Alex, as she got the frying pan out.

* * *

Bobby rang the bell at number 14, a sack balanced in his left hand. Bella opened the door and gave him a bright smile. She looked beautiful, younger than the first night he'd seen her. "Hello, Bobby," she said.

"Bella." He fumbled with the bag in his hand. "I… I got something for the boys. I hope you don't mind." He walked inside the small apartment. As she nodded her consent, Francisco and Felipe tore out of their bedroom and into Bobby's arms for hugs. They shouted their hellos.

"What's that?!" asked Cisco.

Oh, uh," Bobby began, walking to the couch with the two boys hopping along beside him. When he sat down, they flanked him. "I got you something." He could barely get them out of the sack with the boys' curious heads in the way. Bobby extracted two small notebooks and reached back into the bag for mechanical pencils. He handed each boy a set. "If you want to be Detectives, you have to do a lot of writing," he said. "You have to write down all the clues you find, and all the ideas you have when you're trying to find the bad guys."

"Is that what you do?" asked Felipe.

"Uh-huh," he answered. "Only I have a much bigger notebook than this."

"C'mon!" shouted Cisco. The two ran off into a corner and Bobby heard Cisco ask his brother, "Where were you last night?" He grinned, and Bella sat down beside him on the couch.

"I thought," he shrugged, "maybe it would be… kind of… educational."

"They love it. Thank you," she said.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine, now. The bruises are almost gone." She looked at his neck. "Yours, too," she said.

Bobby held his hand up. He'd almost forgotten about that. "Yeah," he said.

"Would you like a drink? I have iced tea, or kool-aid."

"Tea, thanks."

She returned moments later with a glass for him. "When you didn't come yesterday, I thought maybe you… forgot."

He took a drink, then set the glass down. "I… uh… was working."

She remembered he'd said he worked for Major Case, and suddenly she understood what that meant. "The school?" she asked, and he nodded. "My God," she said.

"We caught him."

Bella put a gentle hand on his forearm, and Bobby felt a tickle in his chest. He leaned foreward, out of her grasp and picked up his drink again. After another sip, he turned to her. "You know, uh… I'll be down at the laundromat again on Tuesday. I thought, if you're… if you want… maybe I could… walk over with you."

She smiled, and looked relieved. "Thank you," she said. "That would be great."

Felipe appeared in front of him, notebook in his hand and looking very serious. "Good morning, sir," he said.

"Morning," Bobby replied.

"I have a few questions for you," said the boy. Bobby nodded. "Where were you Sunday night?"

"Uh, I was… at home, watching t.v."

"No you weren't," said Francisco. "You were seen," he flipped through his notebook, "at the deli on 27th."

Bobby grinned, then stammered his response. "I-I was only there a minute! I bought a sandwich and went home!"

Felipe grinned at his brother. "No you weren't! People said you were the one that robbed the store!" The little boy started to giggle. "You stole… a stick of salami!"

Cisco looked at his brother and giggled, too. Bobby raised his hands in the air. "All right, all right, you got me! I admit it! I took the salami like this," he took Cisco's arm, "and I stuffed it in my coat, like this!" Bobby pulled his coat over the boy's arm. "And then I," he leaned down and pretended to take a bite of the boy's arm, "I was so hungry I ate it all before I got home!"

Both boys were rolling with laughter. Bobby released Cisco and they fell down at his feet, laughing so hard tears came out of their eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Bobby emptied his pockets and saw the missed call on his cell phone. He dialed voice mail and heard her voice.

"Hi Bobby, I just wondered if you're feeling better. Uh, I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled. Tired as he was, it had been a very good day. Bobby changed out of his clothes into comfortable pajamas. It was early, but he wasn't planning to go anywhere. He grabbed the phone and returned her call.

"Hey," she said, cheerfully.

"Hi," he replied. "I got your message."

"How are you?"

"Good," he said. "Must have been a 24-hour thing. How's your Dad?"

"He's fine, getting tired of all the help. Johnny's with him tonight, and Liz will take him for a follow-up with his doctor tomorrow." Alex walked across her living room and folded her legs beneath her on the couch. "He said to tell you he's proud of you."

Bobby tilted his head and smiled. "Uh… tell him thanks."

"I will."

Somehow, Bobby didn't want to hang up the phone. He wanted to hear her voice, to visualize her mannerisms as she spoke. "I went to visit the kids," he blurted.

"The kids?"

"You know, my neighbor's."

"How is she?" Was it a twinge of jealousy that put that thought out there?

He was quiet a moment. "Sh-she's fine."

Another moment of silence, and Alex tried to restore the cheerfulness to the conversation. "And how were the boys?"

Bobby's heart was in a knot. Something had happened, here. Something had taken his heart and bruised it, like a tomato fallen against a tile floor. "They're… they're fine." He cleared his throat. "We had a good time."

Alex's mood was sour, now, too. She waited, but he said nothing more. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bobby."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow." Slowly, he hung up the phone. After a heavy sigh, he decided to call it a night.

Alex tossed her phone onto the couch and folded her arms tightly against her chest. She closed her eyes and let her head flop against the soft cushion on the back of the couch.

* * *

A new case was on their desks. After reading the preliminaries, Bobby & Alex went out to the car and climbed in. Alex accidentally brushed her hand against his when she reached out to adjust the climate controls in the SUV. He drew his hand back quickly, out of habit. That strange cold silence, so fresh from the previous night's phone call, fell between them once more.

Alex drove them to the woman's home. She was the wife of a popular journalist, gone missing overnight. There was blood on the floor of the office, and her husband was in a panic about her disappearance. He was corralled in the other end of the house, away from the crime scene.

Bobby and Alex saw him briefly as they followed the throngs of police and SCU to the scene. It was a home office with a desktop computer, a table with two chairs, and a cabinet displaying awards and achievements. Alex went to the computer while Bobby perused the cabinet.

"These are all hers. Her private office," he commented. "She's a writer, too."

Alex opened the internet and searched the history. She clicked a link and a website came up. She clicked a couple more times. "She has a pseudonym. Writes something called fanfiction?"

Bobby peeked over her shoulder. This was something new to him.

"It looks like people write stories with the characters from their favorite tv shows." Alex clicked a few more times. "She writes a lot of crime shows…" After a few more clicks, Alex opened her email.

Bobby turned around and scoured the room again. He sat at a chair at the table and looked out the window. He didn't say anything, but opened his binder and scrawled a note with his left hand.

Before leaving, they stopped to speak with the husband. "Mr. Faranski…" Bobby shook his hand and sat down in a chair facing him. Alex stood by, her thumbs hooked in her pockets. "What can you tell us?"

"I… I pulled an all-nighter at work… when I came home this morning, Debra wasn't anywhere to be found. I went through the house, you know, room to room. When I opened the office door, I saw the blood and…" He almost sobbed, but after a few deep breaths, regained his composure. "I called the hospitals first. I thought maybe…"

"When was the last time you spoke with her?" Alex asked, squatting down to eye level with him, her hands on her knee.

"Uh… yesterday, dinner time. We usually have dinner together, but… I couldn't, you know, so I called her."

"And how did she seem when you called her?"

"Fine, you know. She said she was writing one of her stories, and," he gulped, "I got on her case because she wasn't eating right…"

"Do you have any idea who would want to… do something like this?" Bobby's voice was calm and sympathetic.

He shrugged. "I write editorials. There are always a few hotheads writing letters to the paper."

"What about Debra? Did she have any enemies?"

He looked blankly at Alex. "Why would anyone hate Debra?" he said.

* * *

Bobby caught a ride to the newspaper, and Alex took Debra's computer back to 1PP. While he read Dale Faranski's work and collected hard copies of letters to the editor, she read all of his wife's email, pulled their financials, and read her last three stories, plus all of the reviews her readers had written.

The most recent story, unfinished, had a very hot subplot. The main character's little sister was having an affair with one of the ADAs. Even though Alex wasn't reading for pleasure, she found herself squirming a little in her seat. She took a break, and went down the hall to the soda machine.

When she came back, she went back through the reviews for the story. Most of them were very complimentary. Obviously her readers enjoyed the smutty detour of her story. There was one recurring reviewer, however, who was very curt, and whose remarks seemed not to fit with the events of the story. Alex scrawled the name on a piece of paper and went into the author's page on the site. There was an option for the author to remove offensive reviews. It appeared she hadn't done this. There was also a private messaging feature. Alex read through Mrs. Faranski's messages and found nothing of interest. Apparently, only members could use that feature. Her heckler was not a member of the site.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Alex listened carefully as her sister spoke.

"He railroaded us, really," she said. "I don't think the doctor really wanted him to be alone, yet."

"But he said it was okay?" Alex asked.

"After Dad asked to speak with him privately. It felt so strange to be asked to leave the room like that!"

"But you heard it straight from the doctor?"

She sighed before answering. "Yeah."

Alex was a little concerned, but straightened her spine and tried to look on the bright side. "Well, that's good, then. Dad can have his independence back." After a short silence, she added, "Maybe we should all have dinner with him… to celebrate."

"Good idea," Liz said.

Alex saw Bobby returning to his desk as she said her goodbyes. She set the phone on the desktop and sat down across from him. "Find out anything?" She asked him.

"Some very real suspects," he said.

"I have one, too, though it's going to be a pain to find him… or her." She grinned. "You really should read the story she was working on," she said, and pulled it up on the computer. She got up out of her seat and offered Bobby her chair.

Innocently, he sat down and began reading. He was a fast reader, always had been. By the time he got to the third chapter, his cheeks flushed red and he threw her a startled look.

Alex's eyes were full of laughter. "Pretty good, isn't it?"

"Uh… is this relevant to the case?"

"Actually," Alex said, all humor aside, "I think so."

Bobby swallowed, and adjusted his clothes. Then he went back to reading.

She saw him squirm and dropped her hand on his shoulder. "I'll get you some water," she said, and walked away.

He was relieved that she left him alone, but the story he was reading was definitely leaving its mark. Bobby skimmed the next few lines, and tried very hard not to imagine the action. He was just reading the last installment when she returned and handed him an ice cold bottle of water. He opened it, took a sip, then screwed the cap on and set it between his legs. Alex lifted a hand to her mouth to hide her grin.

"Okay, so...?" he asked.

Alex leaned over him and clicked into the reviews. "Somebody was reading more into this," she said, showing him the questionable comments.

Bobby dropped one hand onto the water bottle and put the other over his mouth. Finally, he looked over at his partner. "At the table, in her office… there was a very good view… of a restaurant across the street."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Very much like… the one in the story."

"Maybe her story was based in reality," Alex said. "What did you get?"

"Well, like Faranski said, he gets a lot of nasty responses to his editorials." Bobby picked up the bottle of water and went back around to his own desk. He opened his binder and withdrew a handful of letters, handing them to her. "Any of these could be someone who might…" He looked up at her, waited for her to skim through them. "But to take her… they should make some kind of demands…"

"No one's contacted him."

"I think it's more likely this was personal… against _her_."

* * *

In the afternoon, the detectives were at the restaurant. It was a four star place, and didn't open to the public until 2 p.m. Alex led the way, and Bobby's head spun this way and that as they entered the dining room.

"We aren't open, yet," one of the employees said, about to send them back outside. Alex and Bobby flashed their badges.

"We have some questions," Alex said.

Bobby opened his binder and pulled out a photograph of the missing woman. "Do you recognize her?" he asked.

"Yes," said the man. "That's Debra. She used to come here quite a bit."

"Used to? Like how long ago?"

"Last winter. She would come in every week with her husband." Bobby fished out another picture and showed him. The man's face paled. "That's not him!"

The detectives shared a look.

"He was built the same, but he had a much thinner nose, and his hair was… curlier."

"What was his name?" Alex asked.

"Harry. That's what she always called him."

* * *

"Alex, you wanna…" His voice trailed off, but she knew he was asking her out for a drink.

"I'd love to, Bobby, but I'm having dinner with my family tonight. Rain check?"

"Sure," he said with a smile, but she saw the sag in his shoulders.

"You want to join me?" she offered.

Bobby looked at his shoes, then shook his head. "No, your father… and… you should keep it just family."

"Dad wouldn't mind."

Bobby smiled, but determinedly shook his head. "Not this time."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow. Enjoy your dinner, Eames."

She grinned at him and walked out, pulling her thin jacket on as she went.

Bobby watched her as long as he dare, then sat back in his chair. He zipped his binder open and read through it one more time before he left for the day.

* * *

With a good measure of guilt, Bobby sat down at the bar and ordered a scotch. At the first sip, he gritted his teeth. It was only one drink. One drink wouldn't break the bank.

He stared out the window at the darkening sky and decided this was a foolish thing to do. Not only could he not afford it, but without Eames, there was really no point. He finished the drink without even enjoying it. He dropped the money on the bar and walked out into the chilly evening.

* * *

John senior complained that he wasn't alone yet, but it was with a cheerful wink. Everyone was there: Johnny, Melissa, their three teens, Terry, Liz, little Nate, and Alex. The entire Eames family. They didn't all fit around his dining table, and it had become a house picnic. Alex sat next to her brother and he kept her in stitches all night.

It was getting late, the family units left one by one, until at last, Alex was alone with her father.

"You call me if you need anything, Dad," she said.

"I'll be fine, Alexandra."

"There are some leftovers in the fridge if you get hungry later. And plenty of cereal for breakfast."

"Good night, Alex."

She smiled at him, but still was reluctant to go. Finally, she held his hand a moment. "You will call?" She asked.

He nodded, if only to ease her mind. "I'll be fine."

She hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, sweetheart."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next day was spent following through with Mr. Faranski's enemies, crossing them off one by one while the IT department tried to sort out who the heckler was. The weather continued to get cooler, and so did the case.

Alex caught Bobby by the elevators just before he went home for the day. "Bobby!"

He spun around to face her.

"You want to get that drink? Make up for yesterday?"

"Ah…" he held his breath a moment. "I can't, Eames. It's… uh… laundry night." He looked slightly embarrassed. "Uhm…"

"Forget about it, Bobby," she said. "I understand."

* * *

Bobby knocked on her door, his new basket beside him in the hall.

Bella opened the door, and the two boys nearly knocked him over. After an exuberant exchange with the boys, Bobby shyly gave his greetings to their mother. He took her basket and stacked it on top of his own as she locked her door. They walked together down the block to the laundromat.

He could tell Bella was wary, but she put on a brave face and carried on as if the man who attacked her last week hadn't been in this very room that night. Bobby set her clothes basket at her feet and gave her a reassuring touch on the arm before going back for his own basket.

He tossed his book on the chair, along with the cheap coloring books and crayons he'd found for the children. Then he took his clothes to the washer and got the machine started. Turning back, he saw the boys were already kneeling on the floor, using the egg-chair as a desk and coloring away. Their mother sat quietly beside them, observing the room as she bit her fingernails.

Goren walked over, retrieved his book, and sat down beside her. Instead of opening it, he stared out at the bustle of people in the room.

His presence was a comfort to her. "They like the books. Thank you," she said.

He smiled at them and told her quietly, "They're good boys."

She returned his smile with one of her own.

* * *

Although it felt wonderful to be home, Alex found it a little lonely. As much as her father argued and resisted, it was nice to be around another human being. Now, in her own place, there was no criticism, but there was also no warmth. She sighed and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" his gruff voice answered.

"Dad? How you doing?"

"Elizabeth?"

"No, Dad, it's Alex."

"Of course it is." His voice seemed warmer, now.

"Are you okay by yourself?" She asked him.

"Are you?"

Alex grinned. "You're pretty sharp, you know that?"

"You got it from me, did you know that?"

"Yes, I think I heard that once or twice." Alex walked into the kitchen while she spoke, and started scrubbing the countertop. "What did you have for dinner?"

"Oysters Rockefeller. I had a tv dinner. One of those 'Smart Meals' your sister goes on about."

"I should have cooked for you."

"Sweetheart, I appreciate your concern. And I love you to the ends of the earth. But I think I'm better off with the frozen dinners."

"Dad!"

"Now what's wrong?" He asked her.

Alex paused. It was hard to admit. "I'm just a little lonely, Dad."

* * *

Felipe was curled in the plastic chair, sound asleep. Cisco was next to him, coloring, but keeping one eye on the people around him. Bobby and Bella were quickly folding their clothes. Once finished, Bobby stacked the baskets to carry them back and waited while Bella woke her son.

He was a hard sleeper. He whined and shut his eyes tight, reaching his arms out and grasping her neck. She peeled his arms down and spoke to him softly, but firmly. Finally, he opened his eyes. He continued to whine and cry, but he got to his feet.

Bella held her boys by the hand and began the walk home, Bobby following close behind with the laundry.

They arrived safely, and he brought her clothes inside while she quickly tucked her youngest into bed. Cisco yawned, and Bobby tousled his hair. "You should get to bed, too. School tomorrow," Bobby told him.

"Will you come over again?" Cisco asked.

"Sure," said Bobby.

"I like you, Bobby."

He smiled. "I like you too, Cisco. And your brother. And your Mom."

"G'night."

Cisco went to bed, and Bobby heard Bella talking softly to him. He wandered over to the window and looked out on the street as he waited. For some reason, he wondered what Alex was doing.

"Thank you, Bobby," she said, as she returned to the living room. He spun around and smiled politely.

"Next week?" He shrugged as he asked.

She nodded. "I'd like that."

He picked up his own clothes and let her open the door for him as he went back out into the hall, saying an awkward goodbye.

* * *

It made no sense, really. He tossed and turned, and found himself dialing.

"Bobby?"

Bobby rubbed his forehead. She sounded sleepy. "Were you asleep?" he asked.

"N-no, not yet."

"I'm sorry."

"Bobby. What is it?"

"I just… it's nothing, it's stupid."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yeah, you know… it's kind of weird being at home again, but yeah."

"I shouldn't have bothered you."

"Goren, just spit it out." Alex rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger.

"I was just… thinking of you."

A small curl appeared at one corner of her mouth. She thought of how he looked at work today, when he read that raunchy story. He was a gentleman about it, but oh, so very much a _man_. Alex lowered her free hand and kneaded the sheet in her fist. "I wish we could've had that drink," she whispered.

"Me, too," he said.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"The good news is… we've traced it. The bad news is… it's a computer at a public library." Walt pushed his glasses back up his nose and waited for the detectives to respond. "And the interesting thing is… he's not reading these stories there. He's only logging on long enough to type the message."

Bobby sat down, in deep thought.

"Not much chance anyone will remember him, then," said Alex.

"Surveillance cameras." Bobby snapped his finger. "Public libraries always have at least one camera on the computers because of pedophiles and cybersex crimes."

Alex picked up his train of thought right away. She turned to Walt. "Is there any way to know the date and time of his responses?"

Walt grinned. "Is the sky blue?"

* * *

With Walt's help, they put together a video montage of the heckler working at the library computers. Ross watched over Eames' shoulder, with Goren standing at his side. "Pluck some stills off of it, and track him down," he ordered.

He left the room as his detectives gave him a nod.

* * *

The first stop was the little restaurant. As best he could tell, the waiter identified the man as Harry. The next stop was Ron Faranski.

"Do you recognize him?"

"This is a terrible picture," the journalist said.

"Yes, surveillance cameras aren't known for their stellar quality," Bobby remarked. "Do you recognize him?"

Faranski frowned. "It looks… kind of like… Matt Gnau." Glancing over the top of the pictures, he could see the detectives were waiting for more. "He's one of the editors at the paper, one of my colleagues." The man shrugged. "Debra knows him from… you know, the Christmas party, awards dinners…"

Bobby took the picture back and stuck it in his binder.

"You think Matt-"

"We're just digging for information. We'll let you know when we have a suspect," Alex explained.

* * *

The detectives stopped by the newspaper office on the way back to 1PP. The secretary made arrangements for them to meet with the editor-in-chief. He shook Bobby's hand. "Nice to see you again, Detective."

"This is my partner, Detective Eames," Bobby said, and the editor shook her hand as well.

"We were hoping you could put us in touch with Matt Gnau," Bobby said.

"He's on sabbatical. Not due to return for another month." The EIC sat down at his desk and squeezed a squishy ball while he spoke. "He's writing a novel."

"Any idea where we might find him?"

The man rifled through some papers on his desk. "He has a timeshare on Martha's Vineyard. He might be there." He found the paper he was looking for, which listed a phone number. He handed it to them. "A realtor. A while back, I told Matt I'd like a place out there, he gave me this number."

The detectives thanked the man and walked out.

* * *

For once, Bobby drove. She'd already navigated them out of the city, so he took over after the first rest stop. It took him a good five minutes to get the seat and mirrors where he wanted them.

"You know, I've never been to Martha's Vineyard," he said.

"Really?"

"Never had a reason to go."

"You'll have to come back on vacation sometime. Get the full experience."

She was settling in. Depending on traffic, they had at least another 3 hours to go before they hit the ferry.

"How's your Dad?" he asked.

"He seems to be doing fine. I've been calling him at night."

"And things with your sister…?"

"Oh, we worked that out right away. She was just worried about him. You know, she's… a lot more sensitive than me."

He glanced over, then smiled at the road. "I don't believe that." He changed lanes and passed the car ahead of them. "You're sensitive. You just hide it well."

Alex looked at her friend, and knew he was right. "Well, let's just say she shows it often." Alex crossed one leg over the other one and stared at the road ahead. "I guess we're not ready to see Dad as old and fragile."

"He's always been your… support. Your safe place to fall."

"Yeah." He brow furrowed. "And when they said "stroke" it sounded so… horrible, really."

Bobby said nothing, but his eyes stole another glance her way.

"You know, when Mom died… we all were so together… we grieved together. Even without much discussion, we all just… rallied around Dad. Somehow it made it easier, to focus on him like that." She shifted her legs once more. "When it's Dad's time, we won't have that option. We'll have to face it head on."

"You'll have each other."

"Yeah," she agreed. She smiled at him. "We take care of each other, but sometimes it's a bumpy ride." Alex looked at the blur of scenery through the window and sighed. "Ah, well, it's not time for that, thank God." Somehow this conversation sparked another memory. She looked over at Goren. "How's your friend? The one that was mugged?"

"Oh, she's, uh, doing fine."

"You… uh, you like her, don't you?"

"Sure, she's a nice lady."

Alex stared at him. She heard what he said, but there was something about his body language or the tone of his voice, or something. Something nagged at her every time he spoke about that girl. "Did you ask her out?"

"No!" Thinking back, he realized he had, though it had only been to do laundry. "Well, yes. Sort of."

Alex grinned. Now things were getting interesting. "How do you 'sort of' ask somebody out?"

"I just… we did laundry together."

She kept smiling, enjoying the blush that was creeping up his neck. "Sounds serious."

He threw her a look of disdain. "Look. She got mugged coming home from the Laundromat. I had to go there again, anyway. I thought it would be… easier… for her if… if-"

"You tagged along. For protection."

"That's right, that's it. For protection."

Bobby passed again. Traffic was getting thicker.

"But you are interested in her."

He was frustrated. "I… I guess. I don't know. Alex, I…" he looked over at her, and then crumpled like a deflated balloon. He could never say that thought aloud. "Let's just drop it, okay?"

She stared at him. All the playfulness gone now, replaced by a subtle ache in her heart. "Okay. Sure."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The first thing on the agenda was food. It was now 6:45, and both of them were starving. The wind had picked up, and a storm was brewing. Thanks to some helpful workers on the ferry, they found a restaurant pretty quickly. While they waited for their food, Alex touched base with the realtor. He agreed to meet them there and show them the way to the property. Bobby called the local PD and informed them of their plan. When the waiter came with the drinks, they were both on the phone. He set the drinks down and walked away.

Halfway through sandwiches, the realtor came. He shook Alex's hand, then Bobby's, and Alex scooted over to give him room to sit until they finished.

"Pretty big storm coming in," he said. "It's already started to rain."

Bobby took one more bite and pushed his plate away. "We'd better get moving, then."

Alex took another bite, while Bobby slid out to pay the bill. Within minutes, they were outside. The realtor pointed out his car. "I'll go slow, so you can follow," he said, shouting over the wind.

Bobby climbed in the passenger side and waited while Alex adjusted the seat. They followed the gold lexus out of the parking lot and down the main road. It was a short trip with few turns. Once at the house, Bobby called the local PD while Alex waved a thank you to the realtor, who drove away.

"All set," he said. He climbed out, binder in hand, and walked with Alex to the door. Both checked that their weapons were accessible. Alex knocked on the door and they stood on either side of it as they waited.

"Mr. Gnau?" Alex yelled. She knocked again. Bobby glanced around, checking the windows for signs of life. At last, they turned to each other. Big, cold drops were falling sporadically, and the tops of their jackets were wet. They agreed that the place was deserted, and headed back to the car. Bobby called the locals again and filled them in.

* * *

By the time they got to the hotel, it was pouring. Years of fieldwork had taught them to be prepared for things like this, so they both had overnight bags tucked in the back of the vehicle. Bobby grabbed both and ran inside behind Alex, who held the door for him.

Inside, he set the bags on the floor and wiped his face dry with his sleeve. She was already at the counter, booking a room.

"I'm sorry, this storm has everyone scrambling for shelter. It's all we have left."

Alex turned to Bobby, then turned back and nodded to the man at the counter. He typed on his computer and she handed over her credit card. He passed her two key cards and told her where to find the room.

"One queen bed. It's all they had," she said to Bobby as she led the way down the hall. He picked up the bags and followed, his anxiety growing with each step.

She opened the door. It was the smallest room they'd ever seen. Alex walked straight to the window, which had sheets of rain pouring over the glass. She turned to her partner. "At least we're dry," she said. "And it's bigger and more comfortable than the car."

He swallowed hard and had to agree with her. "I can… uh… sleep on the floor," he offered.

She appreciated his offer, but it was out of the question. "And then I'll step on you when I have to go to the bathroom. There's not room, Bobby. We'll share the bed." She walked past him, took her bag, and went into the bathroom to change.

Bobby slipped out of his suit jacket and tugged on his tie. By the time she came out, in two piece pajamas, he was down to his pants and undershirt. He carried his size 13s to the wall and set them next to the trash can. He took off his socks and stuffed them inside.

Bobby tried not to look at her as he took his things into the bathroom. Her pajamas were quite modest, but even so, he noticed the lack of support under her breasts, and his cock twitched. He shut the bathroom door a little harder than he intended.

Alex called in to Major Case and left a message for the Captain telling them they were stuck in Martha's Vineyard for the night. Then she sat back against the headboard and flipped on the television.

He was in there quite a while. She tried to tune out what he was doing, to give him privacy, but she couldn't help but overhear some things. She heard the shaver, and the water running. She heard him pull the shower curtain back and forth, heard the zipper on his bag. It seemed to Alex he was doing everything he could think of to postpone coming out and getting in bed.

At last, he emerged, looking much the same as when he went in, only he had exchanged his slacks for pajama bottoms. He still wore a white undershirt, though Alex couldn't tell if it was the same one or a clean one. After pacing the tiny bit of floor available, he sat down on the bed next to her.

Suddenly, the bed was very small. Bobby was bigger than she realized. Alex scooted over to give him more room. She made small talk about the sitcom that was on.

He tried to distract himself with the television, and with her conversation, but his brain kept firing flashes at him. Some were images: her bare feet, the toes still painted a tasteful red from the summer months; the remote sitting on her upper thigh, pointing to a place he dare not think about. Some were sensations: the skin above her elbow resting against his arm; the gentle heat radiating from her body towards his. Some were thoughts: _we're in a bed together; I wonder if she feels as soft as she looks?; I wonder if she tastes like she smells?_

Suddenly, Bobby leapt out of the bed and grabbed his key card and wallet off the dresser. "I'm gonna… go look for the soda machine." He was out the door without a second thought.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

With the hotel full of stranded travelers, no one gave the man at the bar, barefooted and in his pajamas, more than a second or third glance. Bobby sat in front of his third beer, thinking he should head upstairs and try…_try…_to get some sleep.

He checked the clock on the wall, a backlit plastic beer mug with a clock face glued to it. Midnight. Maybe she would already be asleep. He picked up his wallet from the bar in front of him and paid his tab.

Then Bobby dropped his bare feet onto the utilitarian carpet and shuffled slowly back to the room. The key card made a subtle rumbling sound, and the light turned green. He opened the door. The tv was still going, the only light in the room. Alex was a lump under the covers, her face visible intermittently in the flashes from the screen.

He dropped his wallet on the dresser with the key card. He went to the bathroom. Bobby switched off the television, then climbed in bed beside her, turned his body away from her, and closed his eyes.

"God, Bobby, your feet are freezing!" she complained.

He pulled his feet forward, so they no longer touched her shin. "Sorry," he mumbled, and his heart filled with dread.

She touched his back, and he froze. "It's okay." Her hand drifted down his torso, and then she dropped it away from him and turned over. In the tiny bed, their behinds were touching.

Bobby rolled onto his back, to put a stop to it. Eyes wide open, he counted the sprinkler heads in the ceiling. He folded his hands on his chest, squeezing the fingers together, and realized this was the same posture he used when under the dentist's drill.

Alex rolled to her stomach, and even the covers couldn't hide the beautiful line of her curves. He squeezed his hands together and bit his lip.

She raised her head off the pillow and looked at him. "You smell like beer. You went drinking in your jammies?"

He couldn't find the humor in it. "Alex, I can't do this." He sat up and picked up his pillow.

"Sorry I'm so repulsive," she snarked.

"N-no," he said too quickly. "That's not it at all," he said, rising to his feet, pillow strategically in front of his groin. A lingering sweep of his eyes over the covers was all it took to fill him with desire. For the second time, he bit his lip.

"Look, I'm smaller than you are, I'll sleep on the floor," she said. She got out of bed and pointed to it. "Get in bed, Goren."

God, everything about this was turning him on. Goren swallowed, but he couldn't move. She walked around the bed on her way to the bathroom. She came close enough that he could smell her hair. When the door was shut, he threw himself in the bed, curled into a ball. He groaned and adjusted himself roughly. Then he tried to fill his mind with anti-erotic images. Anything that might turn him off.

Instead, his buzzed brain kept reminding him that he was in love with her, and what was so wrong with sharing a bed with the woman you loved?

By the time she came out, he'd scooted over where she had previously been and had the covers turned back on her side. He lay on his side, propped up on one elbow. "Get in," he said to her.

She stopped and stared at him. "You're sure…?"

"Fuck." Now she'd made him lose his nerve. He turned and flopped himself on the pillow, stared at the sprinkler heads again.

"Okay, look. I'm starting to think this is stupid." She got in the bed beside him. "Are you worried that we might touch or something?" She reached out her hand and laid it on top of his chest. "There. Touching. Not so bad, is it."

He gripped her hand and held it to him, pulling her slightly forward. She followed his lead and came closer. Her arm now stretched over his torso and her body was tangent to his side. "Not so bad," she whispered, her eyes smoldering.

At the sound of the words, he broke his gaze from the silver sprinkler and locked it with hers. His mouth covered hers and they devoured each other in the kiss. Nothing about the kiss was gentle. It was hard and desperate. They whimpered and groaned as their bodies bumped and pinched clumsily against each other.

When her hand landed on his scrotum and gave a too-eager squeeze, he lurched away from her.

They both froze in place, panting heavily in the dark. Alex wanted to speak, but her thoughts were coming so fast she had no idea what to say. And the fact was, she wanted him.

He mumbled, something apologetic, something amorous, some kind of curse. He raised his eyes to hers. "If we do this," he said, and then fell silent.

Alex inched closer to him. "I want to," she breathed.

A thrill washed over him, but he kept his head. "W-why?"

She scoffed. "I want you, Bobby." _I've wanted you for years I love you you fucking idiot I've never wanted anything more in my life and I don't care about the consequences or what happens and the only thing that matters is right now._

"Eames—Alex, I…" His fingers reached out and curled against one soft breast. He moved closer, on his knees, and his lips teetered on that invisible boundary between them. They didn't make contact, but to Alex the feeling was incredible. "I've wanted this for…" He panted.

She reached out and stroked his curly hair, then she pulled him close to her chest and gasped when he closed his mouth over the fabric that hid her nipple. His warm breath lingered in the cotton, his heat fueled hers. He bit her gently, and she cried out.

She worked her hands under his shirt. Her fingers combed through the curls of his thick chest hair. His hands worked the buttons of her top while his mouth roamed its way up her neck, pausing only to gasp for air. Alex clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, savoring each sensation. She yanked his shirt upward, and he helped her tear it over his head, throwing it to the floor. Unconstrained by the blouse, her breasts fell into the open air. He smoothed his hands over the skin of her shoulders, taking the top off. He lifted her breasts in his hands, staring at them hungrily as they wobbled against his touch.

Alex attacked his mouth with hers, giving special attention to his bottom lip. In the heat of the kiss, his hands slid behind her and pressed her against his chest. He eased her down against the mattress and covered her body with his own, hands and mouths roaming freely.

The passion was too much for him, and he came in his pants. Sensing her disappointment, Bobby redeemed himself by bringing her to her peak with the fingers of his left hand. Satisfied, they slept soundly in each other's arms.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Bobby awoke to the sensation of her breast lying easily in his hand. They lay facing each other, and even though the sheet covered them to their necks, he knew what he held beneath them. Bobby studied her face as she slept. He noticed how she began to squint when the light touched her closed eyes.

When she rolled away from him, he got out of bed. Naked as the day he was born, but even the advancing morning light brought no regrets. He went to the bathroom, then came back to the bed.

She stretched and moaned, and he kissed her cheek in front of her ear. Alex rolled into his embrace. It was a safe and gentle place to start her day. "Good morning," she whispered, and dropped a kiss on his chest.

His smiled widened, and she made her morning trip to the bathroom. Bobby made no attempt to avert his eyes as she walked back. Returning to his warmth, she kissed his lips.

"I suppose we have to talk," he said quietly.

"About what?" she countered.

Bobby grinned, astonished that she was feeling the same as him. He stared at the ceiling. "I think I like Martha's Vineyard," he said.

She smiled, too. "What time is it?"

"9," he answered.

"We should get to work, soon." Before she could get up, his hands were on her face and he was kissing her.

"Alex," he said. Bobby was beside himself with joy.

She broke the kiss in between words. "I…want…to, Bobby…but…" Finally she drew away from him. "We don't have time." She caressed his face and let her thumb dry his lips. Then she got out of bed and into the shower.

* * *

For a few minutes, Bobby worried that he wouldn't be able to focus properly on his work, but the fact was that he and Alex had spent the past 8 years turning it off while working. In that sense, today was no different.

They found themselves on the stoop of Gnau's timeshare again. This time, in good weather with plenty of light, they could see the evidence that someone had been there, and recently.

When no one answered, Bobby called the locals back and before long, two cruisers were there with a search warrant in hand. They knocked, then forced the door open. Bobby and Alex followed behind, listening as every room was pronounced "clear."

The basement was still in darkness. The lights did not work. The uniformed police extracted their flashlights and scanned the room carefully. The group moved much more slowly now. Bobby broke away from them, jogged out of the house and around back to the cellar door. He called to one of the officers outside. "Can we get this open?"

They used bolt cutters on the padlock and he pulled the doors open. This flooded one end of the basement with light. Bobby went down the cellar stairs, weapon in hand.

He checked his area and shouted "Clear!" There was, however evidence that something foul had gone on in this basement. After a few minutes, the team was able to get the room properly lit and their crime scene teams set to work.

Bobby and Alex interviewed the neighbors, and all they got was a description of the vehicle. No one knew when they had last been in the house. They put the word out about the car and compared notes with the local PD before piling back into the car.

Alex put the keys in the ignition, but didn't start it. "I think he's keeping her alive," Bobby said. "Torturing her, but keeping her alive."

Alex nodded. "Okay, so… we know they had an affair. We know she's been writing stories with that restaurant as a setting…" She looked over at her partner. "She's writing about their affair?" But why go to this extreme?

"He's writing a novel. Maybe… they're having… artistic differences?"

"Her stuff is date stamped on the site. If he steals her ideas, it would be easy for her to come back and prove they were hers."

Bobby shook his head. "It's still… out of proportion. We need to find out more about his novel."

* * *

Romance was out, as they spent the next 6 hours on the road back to the city. The darkness, however, was conducive to talking.

"We can keep it under the radar," she said.

He nodded in agreement. "It's easy to get wrapped up in the work," he said.

"I'll see my doctor… get back on the pill."

He said nothing, just nodded again. That was sensible. "My place? Or yours?"

Alex shrugged. "Play it by ear?"

He agreed. "Alex, when… when did you…?"

She curled her bottom lip under her top teeth. "I don't know. It's been a… a long time." She glanced over at him.

"I think since the day we met," he said, answering her unspoken question.

* * *

Since they needed to hit the office early the next day, they stopped by her place for fresh clothes but went to his apartment for the night. He roamed around, nervously picking up and apologizing for the state of the place.

Alex ignored it. Finally, she grabbed him by the lapels and held him still. "It's okay, Bobby. I don't mind." She tugged on his jacket, and he took it off.

He cleared his throat, and took her hand in his. "Uh, I guess I'll show you… the bedroom."

Alex followed him to the room and smiled. It smelled of him. She took a deep breath.

"The, uh, the shower takes a long time to warm up, unless you run the sink along with it before you get in." He spun around. "Is it warm enough in here?"

Alex chuckled. "It's fine, Bobby." She tossed her overnight bag on the bed and took out a few things. Easily, she unbuttoned her top and slipped out of it. He watched her undress, mesmerized. Bobby strode across the room and took the discarded clothes from her. He tossed them into his laundry bin, a twinkle in his eyes.

She picked up her nightgown, but Bobby took it from her hands before she could pull it over her head. He dropped it back on top of her bag and put his hands on her waist. His hands were hot against her skin.

Alex accepted his kiss, and untucked his shirt while he started loosening his buttons. She unbuckled his belt and yanked it through the loops, then tossed it on the floor. Once he unzipped them, his pants fell to the floor in a heap. He leaned forward and kissed her again as he wrapped his hands back around her waist.

Alex's hands curled up under his arms and his chest hair tickled her skin. Slowly, this time, they built their desire.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Oooof!" In addition to the sudden pain in his stomach, Bobby felt the cold air as the covers slid off him. Heart racing, he opened his eyes in time to see Alex careen into the dresser. She let out a cry of surprise.

He sat up in the bed. "Alex?!"

She was quiet, and still. He could hear her panicked breath as she tried to pull herself together. He watched her carefully, on full alert. "Alex?" He said, softening his tone. He rubbed his stomach where she'd elbowed him.

Alex freed herself from the tangled sheets and blankets. She scooped them up in her arms and dropped them in a pile on the bed. She sat there, and although he moved closer, he did not touch her. "Bad dream?" he asked.

She nodded and allowed herself to look into his eyes. "I… I guess my subconscious is working the case," she explained. She noticed his hand absently rubbing his stomach. "Did I?"

He grinned and removed his hand. "I'm sure I deserved it." Now, he finally reached out his hand and rubbed her back.

"I'm sorry, Bobby."

"It's okay," he smiled. "It was just a dream." He didn't ask her any more about it, knowing that she would share if she felt like it. His brain, however, was already piecing things together. It had been years since her abduction, but there were still times when he caught a darkness in her eyes. They never really spoke much about it. Alex preferred to keep that horrible time between her and Dr. Olivet. Bobby preferred not to revisit the terror and anxiety and absolute helplessness he felt then… those lost days of not knowing her fate. It only made sense that this abduction case, the blood at the house today, would have stirred up some demons.

She started to separate the sheet from the blankets. Her naked body shivered in the cold open air of the room. He got up and took the blanket from her, helping. In spite of what had just happened, he smiled at the realization that they were both naked, and why.

Alex spread out the sheet, and Bobby threw the blanket overtop. She shivered again, and he drew her close for a hug. When it seemed the hug was over, he turned over the sheet and waited while she slid into bed. He tucked her in, and went around to the other side of the bed and climbed in.

Bobby rested one strong arm over her chest and nuzzled her neck with his face. Alex began to talk. "I was… hyperalert," she explained. "The whole time. That's why I was so exhausted in the hospital later. It was days of pure adrenaline I was purging from my system."

"You couldn't let your guard down," he said, with a quick kiss to her neck. "It was fight or flight."

"When Gage was gone… I spent some time feeling sorry for myself, but I knew that wouldn't help things. I forced myself to concentrate on escape. Bobby," she said, turning her head toward him, "I didn't even once think that you, or anybody, was looking for me. I was all alone in there. I knew I had to get myself out."

"I'm glad you did," he said, feeling his insides starting to twist. "We were doing everything we could, but… I'm just glad you didn't wait to be rescued."

"I couldn't raise my arms for a month."

"I remember."

"We've got to find her, Bobby." She turned toward him.

"We will, Alex." He pulled her into a tight embrace.

* * *

In order to keep up appearances, Alex drove to work and Bobby took the subway. He stopped off for the morning coffee and Danish, and dropped it on her desk with a smile, just like any other day. When she met his eyes, however, she read his concern.

"I'm going to track down that car."

Bobby nodded. "I'll chase down his publisher." He picked up his coffee and left the office.

* * *

"The book isn't published yet. This is the most critical point in protecting the artist's intellectual property."

Bobby's anger flared. "Mr. Gnau is a….person…" His voice rose with each word of the phrase, "…of…_interest_… in the _abduction_ of a woman!" Bobby's eyes landed on a picture, half buried by books on a shelf, a teen girl with a man's arm around her shoulders was the only part visible. "You wouldn't be so protective if it were your _daughter_ missing!" He took the snapshot between two knuckles and pulled it free of the books. Bobby tossed it and it fluttered down to rest on the man's desk, in front of him.

It worked. The man stared at the picture of himself and his daughter, and his attitude shifted entirely. "It's… it's a romance/white collar crime story. I… I can find a draft around here somewhere." Bobby stuck his hands in his pockets and waited while the publisher rummaged through his desk and his file cabinets.

* * *

"Plates found discarded at a truck stop on I-87."

Ross looked grim. "He's headed to Canada?"

Alex shrugged. "Maybe. Call came in from near Albany."

Ross paused in thought. "State Police are on it?"

She nodded.

"Get up there, quick as you can. I want to catch him before he leaves the country."

"Goren's—"

"You can collaborate with Goren on the phone. Catch the next plane to Albany and get a car from State Patrol."

"Yes sir," she breathed, and then walked quickly out.

* * *

She managed to get him in the few minutes before the plane had finished boarding.

"Yeah," he said, knowing it was her.

"Bobby, I'm headed to Albany. Cap wants me to hook up with the State Police and chase Gnau down. It looks like he's making for Canada."

"Oh. All right," Bobby said. He clung awkwardly to the phone.

"Ross wants us to work by phone."

Bobby didn't like it, but he knew the Captain was just trying to save time. "Watch your back, Alex."

The pilot announced they were preparing for takeoff. "I-I've gotta go. I'll check in later."

It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't say it. They were working. "Later, then."

"Bye." She ended the call.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The good news was that ditched plates meant he was most likely still using the same vehicle, a navy blue Ford Explorer. The bad news was they had no idea what new plates he had, and a thousand possible detours he could have taken. The State Police were watching I-87 carefully. There was little chance they would miss him, if he stayed in the Explorer and if he stayed on the Interstate.

If, however, he detoured onto the streets of the cities and towns, it would be much harder to keep up with him. Each and every local law enforcement agency would have to be alerted and invested in trying to catch him. It was Alex's job to make sure that happened.

She was picked up at the Albany airport by a State Trooper, who drove her to their station. Then she was assigned a fleet vehicle, an unmarked Ford Taurus, beige, with a souped up engine and disguised police lights. She got the names of her lead contacts and filled them in. Then she headed up the highway to the truck stop where the plates were found.

She sat down at the diner and ordered a meal. Within minutes, Alex had the ear of the most dependable employee they had. Five minutes after that, she had the names of three local drivers who came through every night. By the time her food arrived, they had confirmed they were on their way and would be happy to sit down and talk with her.

* * *

Bobby decided to avoid the distractions of 1PP. He sat in his living room, poring over the pages of the manuscript, making notes of anything he thought even remotely significant. He had his laptop open, as well, and was rereading Debra's fanfiction story, cross referencing it with the tale in the manuscript.

He paused a moment, and rubbed his eyes. He read the last paragraph over again.

_He painted a trail down her body with the lotion, but in his mind he imagined it was blood. His arousal was quickened, and he drew on her with the liquid, writing his name, making his mark. Then he heard her moan as he lowered his head and licked her clean._

_ He ignored her moans and turned her over. He straddled her and dropped his manhood onto her lips as he buried his face in her pubic hair. She took him in her mouth, and he fucked her, excited by the choking sounds he heard._

Bobby squinted, and scratched his head. He found the passage in the fanfiction story and noted the difference. The male in the other story was not leading the sexual experience. This character was sensitive to the needs of his partner, not cold and selfish like the one in Gnau's novel. The scene, however, was certainly the same. He scrawled a note. Bobby poked at some of the keys on his keyboard and found the date the chapter was submitted: two months earlier. He wrote the date on his ledger.

* * *

Ross had faxed cleaner pictures of Gnau, gathered from friends and acquaintances, thanks to the diligent work of the other detectives of Major Case. Alex held them out and let the driver look at them. He verified that he had seen him the night before, but he wasn't sure which route he'd taken when he left.

She waited for the next driver to show. Checking the time, she saw it was getting late. She called her local contacts to check in and found there was no new information. Then she called Bobby.

"Hello?"

"Hi Bobby."

"How's it going up there?"

"A whole lot of 'hurry up and wait.' You?"

"Just reading, and trying to pull out anything that might be a clue. He was writing from the same experiences as her, I'm convinced of that. He has his own perspective, though. I don't think an intellectual property suit would have gotten either one of them anywhere."

"So what's the motive?"

"He's a sick bastard who thinks he owns her."

"Bobby, are you sure?"

"Well, I'm looking into financial motives, too, but Alex… he is a sick bastard." There was a pause, and he switched the phone to his other ear. Even in the privacy of his home, he spoke so no one else could hear. "Are you all right?"

Her eyes drifted downward and she stirred some sugar into her iced tea. "Yeah. I just wish we had more of a trail to follow. I'm enlisting the help of some truckers."

"Good idea."

"Yeah." Looking back up, she saw the waitress pointing a man in her direction. "Oh, Bobby, I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

"I love you, Alex."

She froze in place. "You too," she said, hoping he knew why she couldn't say it better.

* * *

On his third read through the manuscript, Bobby had a thought. He went to his bookshelf and pulled out an old, worn, road atlas. He found the map of New York and got out a highlighter. He marked a yellow spot over Gnau's residence in NYC. He did the same for Debra's home, and also the restaurant where they met. He then marked the route from the city to Martha's Vineyard. Then he traced over the roads that led from Martha's Vineyard to Albany. Then he referred back to the story, and marked three spots from the story.

He stared at it for ten minutes straight. Then he picked up the phone and called Alex.

* * *

Alex drove into the night. Now that she was away from the city, the darkness was thick and ominous. The trees lined the road, and she felt almost claustrophobic. Now and then, the road would run beside a creek or a lake and there would be some relief from the oppressive presence of the woods.

She stopped at a gas station in Lake George, filled up and gave her body a break. Then she climbed back in the car. She checked the information Bobby had given her, then consulted the map. Within another thirty minutes, she should be there. Alex drove on.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

(Friday night/Saturday)

Alex was in the right area, but it would take a lot of side trips to check the place thoroughly. She turned from one gravel road to another, going slowly so she wouldn't draw anyone's attention. She drove past one cabin, then another.

Turning down another road she checked three more cabins. Again, nothing.

It was almost midnight when she pulled onto her 12th or 13th gravel road of the evening. The far cabin hosted a dark Ford Explorer in the drive. She stopped the car and turned off the lights.

* * *

Bobby was still at work. With Alex so far away, knowing she was following the lead he gave her, he worried. He asked Captain Ross to let him join her, but the Captain refused, and countered by asking for his progress. Bobby hadn't found enough yet. He had to stay back and keep putting the pieces together. He had to find the motive.

The weary detective stood and stretched his back. Then he grabbed his empty coffee cup and headed for the machine. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Captain returning to the squad room from home. If it hadn't have been for the eye contact, Bobby might have thought he came back because of one of the other cases. But he looked straight at Goren, and kept walking, in the direction of his office.

"Ow! Shit!" Bobby said, wiping the spilled liquid off the back of his hand. He straightened and followed the Captain. Without a knock, he entered the office.

"I got a call from State Patrol," Ross said. "They're moving in on a cabin outside of Lake George."

Bobby nodded, his face drawn with concern. He looked at his watch, then turned in a slow circle before heading back to his desk. As he sat back down, he set the coffee on the surface. Bobby looked at the open binder in front of him, and saw nothing. He sat like a statue and his coffee slowly cooled.

* * *

She wasn't in the cabin. Alex moved quickly through the rooms, searching for something, anything, that would lead to Debra Faranski's whereabouts. She went out the back door and walked smartly across the deck. The cool night air made her shiver, but she hardly noticed. She shone her flashlight out against the trees.

She hadn't seen a thing, but something in her gut compelled her forward. Alex walked through the fallen leaves into the edge of the stand of trees. She stopped and let her flashlight illuminate a wide circumference around her.

At the far edge of her light, she saw movement in the blanket of leaves. Alex ran.

* * *

"Goren."

Bobby went quickly to the Captain's door.

"She did it. Caught Gnau, found Faranski alive." Ross paused to clear his throat. "Clean and quick. No casualties."

At last, Bobby found the relief that had eluded him for the last hour. He allowed himself a smile. "Thanks, Captain." He turned and went back to his desk. His phone rang before he'd finished putting everything away.

EAMES, the display read. "Hey!" Bobby said as he pushed the button.

"Hi Bobby."  
"Captain told me. Good work, there."

"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you."

"You okay? You sound-"

"Tired. I'm really, really tired."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital. I couldn't leave her," Alex said.

He nodded into the phone. Of course she couldn't. "Try and get some rest," he said.

"Okay," she said. There was a pregnant pause, and she said, "Bye, Bobby."

"Bye, Alex."

* * *

He slept until the afternoon, and then went into work to tidy up his files. This case would take care of itself, even without solid evidence of the financial arrangement he suspected was the motive. Bobby organized it all, anyway. If the DA's office wanted more, they could get their investigators on it.

It was almost 6 when he checked his watch. Bobby pulled out his cell and dialed. "Hey," he said quietly.

"Hi."

"How are things up there?"

"Paperwork's done, but it won't go through until Monday. These people actually take weekends off."

"No."

"Yes."

He could hear her smile in her tone. "And the victim?"

"Her husband arrived this morning. She's doing better now. She said she'd write me into her next story."

"I'll make sure and read it."

"Just not at work, right?"

"I'll take a cold shower afterward."

They shared a quiet grin, then Alex said, "It's pretty here. I'm staying by the lake."

"See you soon?" he asked.

"Probably not until Monday. I'm bringing him back to the city with me."

* * *

Sunday found Bobby in sweats with a junior sized football in his hands. He walked to the apartment and rang the bell. No one answered, so he slid down the hall to the next door and rang the bell again.

"Good morning, Detective!"

"Good morning, Mrs. Kohl. I was hoping to take the boys out… to toss a ball around? Nobody's home."

"They're here." She opened the door wide and he followed her inside. "Cisco, Felipe!" she called.

They emerged from the hall and ran straight to him. "Bobby!" They shouted.

He returned their hugs and stood up tall, football palmed in one hand. "You know how to throw a spiral?" he asked.

Both boys shook their heads.

"Wanna come play with me? I'll show you how," he said.

They shouted excitedly, and Mrs. Kohl shouted over them. "Get your jackets first! And Cisco, You make sure your brother keeps his zipped!"

"I'll have them back by noon," Bobby said. The older woman nodded. "Maybe Bella will be home by then."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Bobby had muddled through work without Alex for two days. Just as he arrived home Tuesday night, his phone rang.

"Alex?"

"I'm finally on my way," she said. "I couldn't get a flight, so I'm renting a car. I should be there in about 4 hours."

Bobby suppressed a groan. A four hour trip really meant at least 5 or 6 hours before he could see her. Once she arrived, she would have to send Gnau to lock-up and make sure he was all set. Bobby sighed.

"I know," she said. "If the damn paperwork had gone through like it was supposed to, I could have been there yesterday."

"It's… it's all right."

"What are you going to do?"

"Laundry night," he said.

"Are you going with _her_?"

"Y-yeah. Don't worry, Alex."

"I'm not worried."

"I'm not interested. Just being a good neighbor."

"I know."

"I love _you_, Alex."

"I know. I love you too, Bobby."

At the sound of those words, he felt a tingle run up the back of his neck and settle on his ears. "I'll see you later?"

"I'll call you."

* * *

This time, Bobby brought a deck of cards for the boys, and they alternated playing go fish and doing magic tricks. Bella was as friendly as usual, but Bobby found himself purposely keeping his distance.

Finally, they withdrew the clothes from the dryer and into the wheeled baskets. Bobby rolled his over next to the table they shared to fold their clothes.

Both Bella and Bobby set to work. "Are you all right?" she asked him.

"Sure. Why?"

"You seem… like you're mad at me or something."

He turned to her. "I'm not mad. Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know. It just seems like you haven't said two words to me all night."

"I…I was busy with the boys," he said. By now he had several pairs of pants folded. He hated that he was making her uncomfortable, but he didn't know what he could do or say that would fix it.

They continued folding in silence. Bobby reached down into the basket without looking and drew the item up in front of him with both hands. Then he quickly put it down, and flushed red. She'd seen it: Alex's blouse from the other night.

Bella was smiling, laughing at his embarrassment. "Now I understand," she said.

"Look, uh…"

"Bobby you don't have to explain anything. We're not dating."

"Well…" he struggled, looking for words. He waited until she faced him again. "I am."

"I see that."

"It's only just… new."

"Good." She smiled. "I'm happy for you." He sighed and they folded clothes in silence once more. "Look," she finally said, "you don't have to keep…"

"I want to. We're… friends, right?"

She gave him a nod, and glanced back at her boys. "Yeah."

"Alex won't mind."

"Alex?" Bella asked, surprised.

"Alexandra."

"Oh. I hope not. I wouldn't want to…"

"She doesn't mind."

* * *

He shrugged off his heavy sleep and groped for the phone. "Goren," he said, half into the pillow.

"Bobby?"

Instantly, he was alert.

"Can I come up?"

"Sure!" he said, grinning. As he hung up the phone, he walked to the living room and unlocked the door. He checked the peephole often, waiting for her. At last, he saw her. He threw the door open and took her bag from her.

Alex shut the door behind her as Bobby tossed her bag on the floor. They embraced. Alex melted into his arms, and he bent his head, smelling her hair. At last, they drew back, and looked in each other's eyes.

"Tired?" he asked.

She nodded, and walked in the direction of his bedroom. He followed her down the hall. He was surprised to see her open his drawer and pull out one of his t-shirts. "Do you mind?" She asked, and he shook his head, smiling.

Within seconds, she was out of her clothes and into his shirt. She crawled into his bed, and he joined her. He wrapped himself around her and kissed her gently on the cheek. "I missed you," he whispered.

It wasn't until that moment, when she was cocooned in the safety of his love, that Alex's emotions crashed in like the waves of the evening tide. She clung to him, and sobbed.

Bobby waited. He held her, and he stroked her hair, and he waited until the tide went out. When she quieted, he kissed her gently, over and over again.

Alex arched against him and kissed him back. She felt as though he were a lifeline, that she desperately needed him to keep her from drifting out to sea.

Bobby was careful. His desire was strong, but he had to know Alex wasn't running away from whatever had brought on the tears. He gently eased her down, away from him. "What is it, Alex?" His hand caressed her face while he waited for her reply.

She sighed. She really, really didn't feel like talking. "I guess I… just felt lost for a minute," was her cryptic reply.

Bobby traced his fingers against her skin, thinking. "The abduction," he said quietly, and all she could do was nod as another tear slipped down her cheek. "I'm sorry, Alex." He held her close again. "What can I do? How can I help?"

"Make love to me. I need you, Bobby," she pleaded.

Before the kiss came the soulful stare. He would make love to her, distract her from her pain, but he would be there when she was ready to bare it all, too. Slowly, he moved closer and touched his lips to hers. The kiss gradually grew deeper, and minds turned from mechanics and movement to oneness.

His fingers drifted across her body, settling on her hip. She curled one hand under his shoulder, and tugged, keeping him captive for her kisses. Bobby pinched softly at the fabric of her underwear several times before he held them fast between his fingers. He tugged, dragging them down her legs. The kisses broke while they discarded the underwear. She kissed his back until he turned to face her again. His neck was the next target. He lingered a moment, then slowly lowered his head to the sweet place between her legs.

Alex opened her legs to accommodate him. He kept his knees by her chest and pressed his face into her soft mound. His fingers played at her hole while his tongue teased her folds. His fingers found and spread her juices and his tongue wandered until it found her rock hard clit. She shuddered and jerked. He moved gently, dropping kisses against her clit, sucking, licking. Driven by her scent, he moved his fingers deeper inside her. Her hand gripped his calf and she moaned and whimpered behind him.

At last, he raised himself up, licking her sweet juice from his lips. He turned around, and she saw how stiff and ready he was. She took his wrist in one hand and pulled him down against her. Their tongues met and hid in the depths of joined mouths. Alex's hand gently stroked him, and it was his turn to shiver.

He pulled away long enough to position himself above her. She sucked in her breath when she felt his soft tip sliding against her slit. Her whispered "ohhhh" did not escape his attention. He dipped inside, and they froze, each in pleasant surprise at the sensation. He pressed deeper, and a throaty groan escaped his lips.

He moved his hips in a slow circle, grinding himself inside her. She kissed his neck, his jaw, his mouth and sighed in disappointment as he pulled out. "C-condom," he explained. He yanked the drawer completely out of its tracks and it and its contents spilled onto the floor. Bobby dove over the side of the bed, his legs the only things in sight, then heaved himself back up, ripping the package open with his teeth. She watched as he quickly rolled it into place.

He positioned himself again and pressed inside as far as he could go. They rested there as long as they could stand, and then both began to rock gently. He moved faster withdrawing farther each time, and Alex thrust her hips against him to keep up. They gasped and moaned together. Alex raised her feet off the mattress and he quickly tucked them onto his shoulders. He moved even faster and she cried out with pleasure. He yelped and jerked as he came, and she enjoyed the look of ecstasy on his face. Alex felt warm all over. He lowered her legs, and then fell on top of her. She stroked his hair as he dropped drunken kisses wherever his lips fell.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

They slept curled together, Bobby's arms wrapped around her. She wriggled, and then suddenly she fought violently to get him off her. Bobby awoke and backed away while Alex scrambled across the room. She panted a moment, and then pounded the fleshy part of her fist against the wall. "Damn it!" Alex said, swallowing a new wave of tears.

"Alex, it was a dream."

She turned to him, holding her wrist. "It was real once," she said.

"You're hurt. I'll get you an ice pack." Bobby hurried out of the room while she returned to the bed. She sat cross-legged on top of it and cried, holding her wrist all the while.

Bobby placed the ice pack against her wristbone, and she pressed her other hand against it. Then he turned and found his underwear on the floor. He slipped it on before sitting on the bed with her. He said nothing, only waited. He didn't even touch her.

"God, Bobby, I'm a mess." She looked at him. "I thought I was past all this, you know?" She repositioned the ice pack on her wrist.

"How bad is it?" He asked, about her injury.

"I don't know, probably nothing."

"Can I?"

She jerked her head and he moved closer. With gentle hands, he guided her to lower the ice pack. He visually inspected her wrist. "Move it?" She did. "How about in a circle, like this?" He showed her what he wanted her to do, and she did it, but she grimaced at one point. He brought her hand with ice pack back against it. "I think you'll be okay." He settled down next to her again, this time closer than before.

"She looked so… awful. Bobby, did I…?"

He nodded gravely. "But you were the sweetest sight I'd ever seen."

"I don't remember the hospital. Not those first nights, anyway. But I do remember you were there." Alex lowered her head and he rubbed her back. "Her bruises were horrible. On her wrists. And she was so… she was so tired, Bobby. She couldn't keep her eyes open."

He nodded, understanding even more than she knew. "It was good you could be there for her."

She looked into his eyes, and tears fell again, wetting the cotton of his tshirt that she still wore. "I can't imagine… if you hadn't stayed with me…" She leaned into his embrace.

Alex pulled the ice pack away and looked at her wrist. "I never thought those marks would go away." He looked, and he remembered, too. "I guess all of my scars are in here," she said, tapping her heart with her palm.

"I thought I'd lost you," he said. He held her close and kissed her temple. "I was running in circles, trying to figure it out, knowing I was against the clock, and…" He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against the crown of her head. "When we got that call, and when I knew it was you… I knew you were hurt, Alex, but you were _alive_. I was on top of the world." He pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "It was a few days later when it wasn't so fun anymore."

"I was a little grumpy."

"You were in pain. And to be honest, I didn't mind you lashing out at me. Because you were hurting, I wanted to hurt, too."

"Bobby?"

"Hmmm?"

"Forget it, never mind. It must have been a dream or something."

"What?"

"Did you… give me a sponge bath? When I was in the hospital those first few days?"

He reddened and shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I, uh, I just sort of did… the parts I could see. I let the nurses do the rest, Alex." He held up three fingers. "Scouts honor."

"I didn't know you were a scout."

"I wasn't, but that doesn't mean I'm without honor."

They shared a grin, and then a kiss.

* * *

One morning phone call was all it took, and Ross gave both Eames and Goren a day off. With the two recent cases, they'd put in enough overtime, and with Eames' PTSD, he was easily convinced. They stayed in bed until nearly lunchtime, then neither could deny their hunger any longer.

"Eat in? Or out?" Bobby asked.

"Snack now and eat out," was her answer. He dug some yogurt out of the fridge and offered it to her. Once they were clean and dressed, they headed out of the building. Alex wore her coat, but Bobby settled for a t-shirt under a turtleneck under a button down shirt. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans as they walked.

"I don't even remember it." She told him, throwing a glance his way before looking back at the sidewalk in front of them. "The dream, I mean. I don't remember anything at all except the horrible feeling."

He shrugged. "That's the most important part," he said. He dug his right hand out of his pocket and offered it to her. She took it, and they veered into a local deli.

As they sat down with their food, two boys raced across the room and nearly jumped in Bobby's lap. He smiled and gave them hugs and set them back on their feet. Mrs. Kohl walked up behind them, and said hello.

"The heat went out at the school, and they sent the kids home for the day," she explained.

"Alex Eames, Martha Kohl," Bobby said. Alex shook her hand. "And this is Francisco and Felipe, Bella's boys." She smiled at them both and waved.

"There was this nasty smell in the hallways!" Cisco said. "It was about to make us all sick!"

"So they sent you home?"

"Yeah," said Felipe. "So Miss Martha is going to let us a watch a movie this afternoon!"

"Sounds like fun," Bobby said.

"All right, all right, boys. We've got to get home and make our lunch. It looks like Detective Bobby is busy right now. Let's leave him be."

"He's not busy, he's sitting," said Felipe.

"But he wants to visit with his friend," Said the old woman.

"Are you Bobby's friend?"

Alex looked at him and smiled. "We've been friends a long time," she said.

"C'mon, now." Mrs. Kohl gently tugged on them.

"Bye, Bobby," the boys said as they headed for home.

"They really love you," Alex observed.

"They're good boys," he replied, smiling after them. He was surprised when he felt her lips against his. Smiling, he kissed her back.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Before evening fell, they found themselves at Eames' apartment. This was new for Bobby. He had been there many times, but given their new relationship, everything about the place seemed different to him. He was keenly aware of everything about it: every item in every room, every sound, every smell. Too much information was coming in at once, but he was so eager to know more about her that he didn't want to stop it.

"Bobby?" Eames repeated. Finally, she removed her tiny ocarina, a souvenir from New Mexico, from his hand and set it back on its shelf. "Bobby?" she said again.

He grinned drunkenly and stared at her.

Alex chuckled. "What's gotten into you?"

He answered her by brushing his lips against her cheek. "It's yours, it's you, it tells your story," he explained.

She nodded. "You're investigating me?"

"You like folk art."

"I do?"

He tapped the ocarina with his finger. Then he showed her two books on her shelf, one about Navajo rugs and one about Amish quilts. Then he pointed to a small, handpainted wooden cross hanging on the wall.

"Oh. I guess I do." She laughed. "I never put any thought into it, really. I just bought them because I liked them."

"It smells like linen."

"Just some stuff I throw on the rug when I vacuum."

He took a hesitant step toward her bedroom. Bobby turned back, "Can I?"

Alex chuckled. "I don't think you've ever asked permission to go in a room before. Of course, knock yourself out." She followed him into the bedroom. He stood still at the foot of her bed, eyes closed.

After a moment of silence, she tapped him on the arm.

"It smells like you," he whispered, then opened his eyes and smiled at her again. He pointed to another cross hanging on her wall, this one metal, worked with an intricate design all around. "More folk art," he commented, and she threw up her hands.

"You have a good time," she said. "I'm going to go cook something for dinner." As she walked back to the kitchen, she smiled too. In the same way he was seeing new things about her, she was seeing something new about him: he was giddy. Giddy Bobby.

Alex found some frozen, fix-it-fast dinners in the freezer. She chose a beef stew-like concoction and emptied it into a skillet. Then she cleaned out the expired items from the refrigerator. She dumped a couple of things into the trash can and nearly jumped out of her skin when she stood back up. He was right behind her.

"Jesus Christ Bobby don't do that!" she said in one quick breath.

"Sorry."

Alex put her hand over her heart and tried to calm down. "You scared me to death!"

"Sorry," he said again. Bobby moved past her and stirred the food. He leaned down and smelled it. "What is this?"

"Fix-it-fast. It's my standby in a pinch." She looked over the pan, then looked at him. "When it's hot, it's done. I'll be right back."

Bobby stirred it, though he had mixed feelings about eating it. At least it didn't smell offensive. After a few minutes, he turned the burner off and collected two bowls from the cabinets. He found them on his first guess. Years of coffee meetings had taught him where the silverware was kept. He snagged two forks and dropped them into the stew, then set the bowls on the table.

Alex returned and sat down in front of her bowl. "There are some beers in the fridge," she said.

He found two bottles and opened them both. As Bobby sat down, he set the bottles down between them. He watched her take the first bite, then started in on his own bowl.

"Did you think it was poisoned?" She teased.

"I… I just never had this before," he said. "I don't usually eat frozen." _I usually eat out,_ he thought, and then remembered his current financial status. _Not anymore._ "It's… it's good."

"No it's not, it's tolerable. But it's cheap and it's easy and it doesn't go bad when you go out of town for a few days."

"I'll remember that," he said, and toasted her with his beer.

"Yeah, you're trying to save money right now, aren't you? That's what's up with the whole laundromat thing, right?"

"I wouldn't say 'saving' is the right word for it, since any money I don't use on expenses is going to pay off my debt."

"How's it coming?"

He shrugged, remembering the last few days of restaurant dinners and drinking alone. "I-I'm… adjusting."

"That well, huh?"

"I can always give up on the idea of retirement, and just work until I die."

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Then who will I play checkers with at the retirement home?" she joked.

"Checkers? Eames. Chess."

She leaned over and kissed his lips. Bobby grinned and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She surprised him next by dropping her hand in his crotch. He jerked at the surprise, then pushed up against her hand. His hands went up the front of her blouse, lifting and rolling her breasts. His thumbs glided over her nipples.

They broke apart, and Alex reached out for her beer. She took a deep drink. Bobby followed her lead and did the same. Then she jogged away from him in the direction of the bedroom. In his haste, the chair fell on its side on the floor.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

He caught her by the arms and she yelped. Immediately, he let go. She took advantage of the situation, turned him and pinned him face down on the bed. Goren grinned. "You weren't hurt!" he protested.

She kept her knee in the small of his back, but leaned over and breathed heavily in his ear before whispering "All's fair in love and war." Then she spent a few minutes tormenting him by playing with her lips on the edges of his ear.

At last her gripped on him eased up, and he rolled over underneath her, taking her mouth with his. He moaned with desire, and with his hands on her hips, held her tight against his groin.

The throbbing in her clit was almost painful, and feeling the rock in his pants against her only made it stronger. She leaned back and her hands started working his buttons free. He sat up and quickly stripped out of all three shirts. Then he helped her out of hers. He traced his fingers around the lace of her bra before reaching behind and loosing the clasp. She dipped her shoulders, and it fell easily down her arms, where he caught it with one hand and tossed it to the floor.

The heat of his mouth on her nipple caused her to gasp in surprise. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, enjoying the sensations: the squeezing and kneading of his hands and the nipping and sucking of his lips.

"Oh, God, Alex," he said, his tongue lapping and sucking the way he wanted her to feel her suck him. "I want you," he added.

She lowered her head and arched back toward him, causing him to release her breast with a sigh. After a rich and hungry kiss, she stepped back, pulling him up to his feet. Her hands trailed down his skin as she got to her knees in front of him. She fumbled with the button on his jeans, so he did it for her. She yanked down the zipper and he helped her slide pants and underwear down past his hips. She pushed them to the floor, untangled them from his shoes, and he stepped out of all of it.

Her hands were around his sac, warm, and gently kneading. Bobby felt her soft tongue against him, and he couldn't help but thrust in her direction as she slid as far as she could reach along his length. She was on her feet again, and she pushed him back with one finger onto the bed. He willingly complied, eager to feel her mouth against him again.

She was on her knees beside him, and she studied him. Bobby saw the lustful desire in her eyes before he was distracted by her pendulous breasts. He grinned as he felt her tugging off his socks. She paused to kick off her own socks and shoes, then crawled into position between his legs.

As Alex tasted the tip of his cock, she smiled. The seam in the crotch of her jeans was keeping her clit occupied. She sucked him gently, tasted a drop of pre-cum from his tip. She lowered her mouth a little more, and swirled her tongue around him. She heard him moan happily. Alex began to move her head slowly, up and down, sometimes sucking back, sometimes only sliding freely. He pushed against her slowly, restraining himself from the full-on-fuck he so desperately desired. She took him in as deep as she dared, and his hands automatically reached for the back of her head. He restrained himself from pushing her down, but his fingers slipped deep into her hair.

It was becoming all but impossible for him to hold back. Just when he thought he couldn't take anymore, she dropped him out of her mouth and he felt the air of the room like ice against his cock. He freed his hands from her head and she moved up beside him on the bed.

Bobby loosed her pants with one hand and slipped it under the fabric of her panties. Alex pushed her jeans down over her hips and they both gasped as his fingers swam in her juices.

"So wet," he breathed in her ear. He dipped his fingers in and out while she squirmed against his hand. He parted her lips with his tongue and kept her busy with a kiss while his fingers explored her folds.

She raised her knees and pushed her feet against the mattress pressing her sex hard against his hand. "Bobby!" She groaned with desire.

He was ready, too. He helped her slip out of her clothes, and retrieved his wallet from his wadded up pants. Bobby withdrew a condom and used his teeth to open the package, since his hand was too wet to do any good. She took the rolled latex from him and positioned it on his tip. With two hands, she rolled it down until it was secure.

Bobby kissed her abdomen, then her breasts, then her neck, before he pressed lips against hers once more. As he leaned back to position himself, the look in his eyes made her blush. It was a combination of love, desire, and astonishment. She let him lift one of her legs to his shoulder and moaned in pleasure as he filled her void.

With one leg up, she was turned slightly, and the sensations were different than before. He worked inside her, deep and slow, and she twisted when she pushed back, forcing him a little deeper than he could reach on his own. After several minutes, Bobby pulled out and his hand told her to turn over. She waited on her hands and knees as he dipped in from behind. His arms lifted her until she sat against his lap. Eyes closed, and smiling, she licked her lips as she felt him thrusting into her, a little harder each time. Alex rode him, secure in the grip of his arms.

They let themselves go, and soon the frenzied thrusts climaxed into a final, heaving push. Alex felt her own cum dripping down her leg as she convulsed with pleasure. Bobby cried out and his arms wrapped so tight around her she almost couldn't breathe.

The pulsing stopped, and his arms fell away, freeing her to fall forward against the bed. She had no strength, no control over her muscles now. She was blissful and her arms and legs were useless. He fell beside her, and as they caught their breath, he managed to raise her hand against his mouth, where he kissed it tenderly before laying it on his hairy chest.

When she finally recovered enough to turn and look into his eyes, she felt her heartbeat quicken again. She'd never in her wildest dreams thought it would be like this. This was better than she remembered. Bobby was the best she'd ever had. And this overpowering love she felt just made her want him more. "God, Bobby," she said. "You're amazing."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Bobby arrived first, setting the coffees and the Danish into their proper morning places on their desks. In another 15 minutes, Alex arrived, her face freshly flushed from her morning run. For appearances, they said 'good morning,' as if they hadn't seen each other already that morning.

Just as Bobby's lips curled around the sipping hole of his paper coffee cup, he noticed a new email pop up on his screen. He read it quickly, and leaned forward to type a response. After he clicked 'send,' he leaned over and dug a thick file out of the large drawer by his right knee. He plopped it on his desk, and Alex looked away from her computer.

"Cold case?" she asked him.

"Yeah. The Hopkins case. I just got an email from ballistics. They got another bullet that looks to be from the same gun." Opening the file, he transferred a number of pages into his binder, along with a clean pad of ledger paper. Then he dropped the file back into his desk and zipped the binder shut. "I'm going over there."

She smiled at him, and went back to her report. The Hopkins case was his alone, from the days years ago when she had been on maternity leave. She wouldn't try to nose in on it unless things started heating up.

* * *

"Thanks, Jose," Bobby said.

"Hey, you know. You asked me to keep an eye out." He pulled up a side by side image of the bullet casing from the Hopkins case and the one from the current case. The scrapes on the casing appeared identical.

"They match," said Bobby.

"We're doing measurements to be sure, but, yeah, I think it's a definite match." Jose turned and looked Bobby in the eye. "And… there were trace amounts of blue gel."

Bobby cocked his head.

"I sent it to trace, they're running a chemical analysis."

There was a spark in Bobby's eyes. "Thanks, Jose. I'll head over there next."

* * *

They hardly saw each other all day. Bobby ran from one science team to another, learning about the similarities of this new case and his cold case. Alex finished her reports in the morning and had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon.

They finally met back at their desks at 5 p.m. "He's back," Bobby announced. He briefed her on his day's work.

She looked over the new information, then glanced up at him. "Let's go talk to the Captain."

He grabbed his information and followed his senior partner into the Captain's office. After a polite knock at the open door, they walked in. Ross finished his phone call and looked up at them.

"We want jurisdiction over a case," Alex said. She showed Ross the paperwork Goren had gathered. "Looks like one of Bobby's cold cases is getting warm again."

Ross looked it over and glanced up at Bobby. "I'll make some calls," he said.

* * *

Alex showed him her box of pills. "One week," she announced.

He grinned. "Are you sure? I thought it used to be a month."

"Of course I'm sure. I asked. One week." She took the pills back to her room and put them in the medicine cabinet. When she returned, he was chopping vegetables. "Need any help?"

"Nah, that's okay."

Alex smiled. She took off her shoes and carried them into the living room, where she put her feet up and perused a magazine. Soon the aroma of a rich soup was calling to her. She wandered back to the kitchen and found him stirring the pot. "Smells delicious," she said.

He turned the heat down. "Give it a while to simmer, and it'll be out of this world!"

She leaned over the pot and sniffed, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek.

She leaned back against him, enjoying his strength. She turned her head, and he kissed her lips. "How long does it have to simmer?" she asked, turning her whole body to face him.

They kissed again. "As long as we want it to."

She stretched her arms up until her fingers tangled in his hair. She pulled him down to meet her, and they shared a fiery kiss. She loosed her fingers and slipped her hands down to where his jaw met his neck. Greedily, she kissed him again. Then she turned him loose and walked to the bedroom, turning back twice to see if he was coming.

He stirred the soup one more time, then checked that the heat was low enough. Then he hurried back to the bedroom.

* * *

Robert Goren was a man in love. He lay next to her in the growing dawn, smiling at the memory of her skin against his lips. Last night had been mind-blowing. Out of condoms, they'd pleased each other in other ways, and he was still overwhelmed with the emotions of it all. He would never move again. He would never leave this bed, her scent, the radiance of her skin.

Bobby took a deep breath and smiled. She stirred, and he snuggled even closer to her. He kissed her bare shoulder.

Alex smiled. "Morning," she said lazily.

He kissed her shoulder again. "Morning."

His plans never to leave her side were dashed when she slid out of his grip and went to the bathroom. Bobby rolled onto his back and sighed. Hearing the shower start, he gave up on his little dream completely and got up to make the coffee.

* * *

Bobby went home long enough to shower, shave, change clothes, and pack a bag that included condoms in case they stayed at her place again. He took a few minutes to tidy up in case they stayed at his place again. Finally satisfied with the state of things, he headed out the door.

She was reading through the Hopkins file when he dropped her Danish on her desk. He handed her the hot cup of coffee and she thanked him, same as always.

"Heard from Ross yet?" Bobby asked.

She shook her head. "He's not in. Check your messages. Maybe they called you."

Bobby picked up his office phone and pushed the message button. After entering his code, he listened and took some notes. He looked up at her with a grin. "We got it. We need to go to the 3-2 and get briefed. Then we can check out the crime scene."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Two shots in the back, close range. Nobody heard a damn thing." Goren and Eames followed the detective to the door of the apartment building. Bobby looked in every direction as he loped along behind.

"Pretty hard to shoot without being heard," he commented. "Silencer?"

"Casings don't indicate use of a silencer."

"Who was the victim?" Bobby asked.

"Mannie Patel, third generation American. He was 47 years old, worked as a physical therapist. Divorced, no kids."

They entered the apartment, and Bobby went right to the blood stained carpet in the living room. "Which way?" he asked.

"His head was over here."

"So the shooter was in… he let him in… he knew him. Or else he would have been facing the door."

Bobby squatted near the blood and searched the carpeting with his sharp eyes.

"Any sign of robbery?" Alex asked.

"No money in his wallet, but that's not uncommon in this economy. As far as we can tell, nothing was taken from his apartment." Alex wandered into the bedroom while Bobby straightened and searched the living room area. Bobby's attention kept going back to the blood stain on the carpet. At last, just as Eames returned from the back room, he pointed and asked, "There's a little… edge here. Looks like a right angle. Was anything found here next to the body?"

The detective shook his head. "Nothing. Shit, I never even noticed that."

Bobby ignored the comment and looked at his partner. "He had something in his hand when he died. Something the killer took with him."

* * *

In the car, they compared the new case to the old ones. "In three of the four cold ones, a small rectangular object was taken."

"What the hell would be that size?" Alex mused. "A wallet? But they found a wallet on this vic."

"What else would be that size and shape? I keep thinking about those little gift card boxes you see at Christmastime."

Bobby's phone rang, and he stared at his partner before getting it out of his pocket.

He didn't have to tell her to head for the nearest electronics store.

* * *

Alex was on the phone to the detective from the 3-2 while Bobby was perusing anything in the store that had the right dimensions. She hung up and walked over to him. "No phone was found."

Bobby looked back through his binder. "No mention of phones in the evidence lists… of course, back then, they weren't as popular as they are now."

"What else?" Alex asked… "ipods…PDAs…"

"A PDA is about the same size as a smartphone."

"PDA's store a lot of information."

They turned to the salesman, full of questions.

* * *

The afternoon was spent researching every victim, cross-referencing them with each other, looking for anything at all that any of them had in common.

Bobby was in the zone, so Alex went home by herself. He still hadn't shown up by 7:00, so she called him.

"Hi," he said.

"Are you still working?"

"N-no, I just… I came home… to my place. Was I supposed to come over?"

"No, not unless you want to… I just… I guess I was hoping you would."

"I didn't really think. I just sort of… ended up here. I can come over, if you want."

"What do you want?"

"I'm coming over. I'll be there in… uh… 45."

"Okay."

Bobby hung up and gathered up the bag that he'd packed for her place. He mentally kicked himself for bothering to come home without checking with her first. Out on the street, he unlocked the mustang and climbed in. It started on the third try, and he let it warm up a few minutes before pulling out into the street.

All the while, he drove on autopilot. His head was full of information about the victims. He kept running over everything mentally, and barely noticed the truck that almost drifted into him and the small car that he cut off when he changed lanes. It was a miracle he arrived at her place in one piece.

It was already dark and Bobby could see his breath when he knocked on her door. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. His jacket was too light for this kind of weather.

Her door opened. "Holy Jesus, it's cold out here!" She stood out of the way and rushed him in. "You must be freezing!"

Bobby smiled and welcomed her hug. He warmed up quickly.

"Did you eat?"

"Uhm, I… uh, no. I forgot."

She took him by the hand and led him to the kitchen. She'd been with Bobby long enough to know that only two things made him forget to eat: worry and overthinking a case. "You find the link yet?" she asked, as she pulled a bag of lunchmeat out of the fridge and set it in front of him. The bread was next.

He shook his head. "Ah, I… I don't know."

She ran her hand across his shoulders, then turned and poured him a drink while he made a sandwich. She picked up his duffel bag and carried it back to the bedroom. When she came back, he'd already eaten half the sandwich.

"You're still working on it," she observed.

He shook his head and took a drink. "I can stop."

And for a short time, he did. Long enough to make love to her. But as he was holding her, before she fell asleep, the images started popping back into his brain. He waited as long as he could, not wanting to disturb her, then slid out of bed and went to the couch.

Alex was still, but she awoke fully when he slid out of bed. She knew. She knew why he left, and what he was thinking about.

* * *

In the morning, she found him, red eyed and weary, working steadily on her laptop. "Bobby?"

"Oh, uh… good morning."

She frowned. "You got anything?"

He nodded. "Uh, yeah… I think maybe I do."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

He had something, but he wasn't ready to share it with her yet. He sat in front of the computer, brooding. Then abruptly, he disappeared while Alex made herself a bowl of oatmeal. She heard the shower running.

"I… I gotta go in," he said, as he combed his wet hair.

"I'll meet up with you later. Want some breakfast?"

"I'll pick up something." He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, then bent down and kissed her. His stare said goodbye. He turned, grabbed his jacket, and left.

Alex took a bite of her oatmeal and stared at the closed door. She wasn't angry. This was Bobby. When he worked a case, he worked a case. Being in a relationship wouldn't change that, couldn't and shouldn't change that. She turned her thoughts back to her breakfast. Taking a sip of coffee, she picked up her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dad."  
"Alex!"

"I was wondering how you're doing."

There was a pause. "Why?"

"I haven't seen you for a while."

"I'm fine."

"You need anything? I could come by, maybe take you shopping or something."

"Okay."

"I'll be there in an hour."

* * *

"Mrs. Hopkins, I'm really sorry to… to dredge up old feelings…"

"You think you've found something," the older woman said.

Bobby nodded. "I've been doing some research… Did your son have a PDA? You know, one of those little… electronic planners?"

"Didn't everybody back then?"

Bobby smiled. "Do you remember finding it in his… personal things?"

"No. In fact, I remember because I went looking for it specifically. I thought he might have had some… addresses, and phone numbers… people who maybe didn't know he'd been killed. I thought I should try to contact them."

Bobby zipped open his binder. "Do you remember what kind it was? What it looked like?"

"Oh, Lord… I don't remember. It was black or gray, but I can't remember what kind."

Bobby showed her some photos of PDAs from old catalogs. She selected two that seemed familiar. He thanked her and left.

* * *

He was waiting for her, his arm tucked over his binder and his hands in his pockets. A misty rain was falling, leaving him cold and very wet. He bounced on his heels until she got within arm's reach, then he turned and held the door for her. She read the relief in his body language when he stepped into the warmth of the restaurant.

"Bobby! Good to see you," said the owner, shaking his hand.

"Arthur," Bobby said. "This is Alex." He waited while the man shook her hand, then said, "Uhm, could we have a place… we need some room to spread out."

"Working lunch?" Arthur asked.

Bobby nodded.

"I'll be right back."

While they waited, she brushed the moisture off his cheek with her hand. "You should have waited inside. You're soaked."

He shrugged, and Arthur appeared again. "This way, Bobby." They followed him to the party room, which was as still and empty as a ghost town. "Marlena will be your server. I'll make sure she doesn't forget you're in here."

"Thanks, Arthur," Bobby mumbled as he sat down and unzipped his binder. He leaned over it and started going over his discoveries with Alex.

"So he's killing over some kind of data… what is it?"

"Evidence," Bobby answered. "Something that will incriminate him in one or more of these murders." Bobby paused to rub his eyes. "Alex, we don't even know what he looks like. I only know, from a scrap of DNA evidence, that he's a Caucasian male. I know from one footprint at one crime scene that he wears a size ten. I know from one witness that he is somewhere between 5'7" and 6 foot."

"What's the blue stuff?" Alex asked, shuffling through the paperwork again, brow furrowed.

"Hair gel."

"So he's maybe got thick or curly hair?"

"Maybe. I think he's using the gel somehow as a silencer for the gun. You know, like instead of cotton balls, he just fills that void with gel."

"That would work?" She asked.

Bobby shrugged. "I don't see why we would keep finding it on the casings if it doesn't have something to do with the gun."

She pulled out her phone and quickly sent a text msg. "We're gonna find out if that works."

"Okay, so Hopkins had this kind of PDA." Bobby showed her a picture. "They were among the first that would store photographs in addition to data." Bobby showed her a picture of the blood stain at the latest crime scene. "Patel had an iphone. Fits the size of that stain perfectly."

"So he's killing over a picture."

Bobby raised one shoulder and nodded. "I think so."

"Bobby, let's find out if Patel's had to have any repairs done on his phone recently."

* * *

She convinced him to get some rest while she looked into the situation with Patel's phone. He made it as far as his couch before he sat down heavily and slowly listed to one side. He was asleep within minutes.

The ringing cell roused him and he barked into it. "Goren."

"Hello, Bobby. I'm sorry to bother you."

He rubbed his eyes. "Oh, uh, no, it's okay, Bella."

"Tomorrow is Francisco's birthday. He wants to invite you."

"Oh, uh, great! What time?"

"Around 2:00?"

"Sure, yeah, tell him I'll be there."

"You can bring your friend, Bobby."

"Uh… I… uh, I'll ask her."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Alex left him alone. She could see no good reason to risk disturbing his sleep. So she went home, tidied up, took a bath, and went to bed. At 3:30, her phone rang.

"Eames," she mumbled. Two words, and she was wide awake. "Where? I'll be right there."

* * *

At 6:30, Goren's phone rang. He slid out of bed and checked the screen: EAMES. "Yeah?" he answered.

She sounded upset. "Bobby, my Dad's in the hospital. He fell and hurt his ankle. We don't know yet if it was another stroke."

"Oh, Alex! Do… do you want me to do anything for you?"

"Just… I'll call you later."

"Okay. Keep me posted."

She hung up before remembering to say "I love you." She pondered calling him back for a minute, then decided that would be silly. She walked down the hall, where her brother Johnny wrapped an arm around her.

* * *

Bobby sent flowers to the hospital, and hit the corner drugstore to look for a gift for Cisco. He settled on an art set, and went home to wrap it. No wanting him to feel left out, Bobby got Felipe a little metal car. After wrapping the gifts, he headed over to Bella's.

"Bobby!" The boys yelled, almost knocking him over with hugs. Bella took the gifts from his hands so he could steady himself. He greeted the boys and followed them inside.

"Wanna see my cake?" Cisco asked.

"Sure."

"I decorated it!" Felipe announced.

Bobby went into the small kitchen and looked at the sheet cake. Felipe had poured an entire bottle of sprinkles on one half of the cake. "That's a nice looking cake," he said.

Mrs. Kohl shooed them into the living room and brought Bobby a glass of iced tea. He laid his jacket over the back of the couch before he sat down. Cisco came and sat beside him, leaning against him and playing with some kind of action figure. Bobby put his arm around him. Felipe came and sat on Bobby's lap, happy to watch his brother's toy.

Bella smiled at him. "Your friend?"

"She couldn't make it. Uh, her father… he's in the hospital."

"Oh!" Bella's face was full of compassion. "Do you need to…?"

Bobby shook his head. "She has family with her."

"Well, thank you for coming." She nodded to her boys, content snuggled against him. "I don't have to tell you what it means to the boys."

"Bobby?" Felipe asked. "Did you catch some bad guys this week?"

"Mostly my partner did. I only helped. We've just started looking for a new bad guy, though."

"Your partner must be smart."

Bobby grinned. "She is."

"Your partner's a GIRL?!" Both boys looked over at him in shock.

Bobby smiled even wider. "Yes. She's the best cop I know. She's smart, and she's very tough."

"I don't like girls," said Felipe.

"You won't say that forever," Bobby said, giving Bella a knowing look. The doorbell rang and she went to answer it, leaving Bobby to talk with the boys while Mrs. Kohl finished up in the kitchen.

Bobby was very aware that she stepped out into the hall rather than inviting the person in. Now, even through the door, he could make out the muffled sounds of an argument. He took Felipe off his lap and stood up.

He could hear their voices, louder as he came closer. "You're not welcome here!" Bella said loudly.

Bobby looked through the peephole, to see the man hovering in Bella's face as he snarled at her. Bobby dug his badge out of his pocket and opened the door.

He flashed the badge. "You need to leave," he said quietly, stepping between the man and Bella. Something in his expression reminded him of Cisco.

The man's face reddened, and he spat in Bella's direction. "You slut!"

Bobby stepped in closer, and the man wised up and turned to walk away. Bobby stayed in the hall until he was gone, waving to Bella with one hand to go back inside.

As he came back in, he dropped his shield in his pocket. She was in the kitchen with Mrs. Kohl, talking quietly. He tousled the boys' hair as he walked by, and Mrs. Kohl stepped out.

"He's their father?" He asked her quietly.

She nodded, and tears slipped silently down her face. "I haven't seen or heard from him in years," she choked. "He can't just…demand to see them, can he?"

"Look, I'll…I'll see if I can find a lawyer to talk with you. Uhm, look… It's Cisco's day." He stuffed his hands in his pocket and watched her dry her eyes on a tea towel and regain her composure.

"Martha, bring the boys to the table! It's time for cake!" She stuck the candles in the cake and lit them. As she carried it into the room, they all sang "Happy Birthday."

* * *

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," John Eames complained. "A stroke? I sprained my ankle. I just tripped, that's all."

"Dad, you know they just have to be sure," Alex said.

"I want to go home."

"I know." Alex sank into the visitor's chair beside him. "Look, Dad, it's only for tonight. We'll take you home tomorrow."

"I want a cigarette." Liz rolled her eyes and marched to the window, shaking her head.

"You know that's not going to happen here," Alex said quietly.

"Then take me home!" he demanded.

"All right, Dad, that's enough," said John junior. "You're not getting a cigarette and you're not going home tonight. Now suck it up and quit giving the girls a hard time."

The father looked at the son, who stood his ground. At last, John senior picked up the remote and flipped channels on the tv until he found a football game. "Patriots are terrible this year," he grumped.

"I heard that," Johnny agreed.

Alex smiled at her father and gave her brother the chair. She walked over and took her sister's hand. "C'mon," she said, and Liz followed her out.

Liz dabbed at tears as they walked together down the hall. "Stubborn old goat," she complained.

Alex smiled. "Yes, he is."

"Doesn't he know we're scared to death?"

"I think he is, too," Alex said.

Liz looked into her eyes for a moment, then nodded. She leaned into Alex, who wrapped a strong arm around her.

"I hate this," Liz said.

"Me, too," Alex agreed. "Hey, why don't you go home. I can stay here tonight."

"Don't you have to work in the morning?"

"Bobby can cover for me for a while."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Alex sat in the quiet of the waiting room, curled into the corner of the couch, phone tucked close to her ear.

"I need to stay with him," she explained.

"I get that."

"I wish I could be with you, too."

"I can come out."

"No, Bobby. It's late. You need to get some rest. It's all on you, tomorrow."

"So how is he?"

"He finally fell asleep an hour ago. Before that, he was a bear."

"But, he seems okay?"

"Yeah. He seems fine, except the ankle."

"Maybe he did just slip."

"I hope so."

"I love you," Bobby blurted it out, but he felt like saying it.

Alex smiled a weary smile. "Love you, too." She hugged her knees against her chest. "And Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

* * *

His first phone call was to Carver. He got the needed information and had the paperwork faxed over. He stuck it all in one pocket of his binder to give to Bella later.

Next, he turned his attention to the Hopkins case. Bobby took his binder and a few stray items from his desk and mapped everything out on a bulletin board in one of the interview rooms. He was so engrossed in thought that it barely registered in his mind that Ross had entered the room.

Ross offered no greetings, just looked over the information on the bulletin board. "Making headway?" he asked.

Bobby shrugged. "I think so."

"Eames?"

"Her Dad's in the hospital again."

"You've got the day to make some sense out of this, then. I'll expect a briefing tonight." He swiftly left the room.

Bobby turned back to the board and within seconds was lost in thought again.

* * *

"Okay, okay, Dad. You were right. I get it." She held a bag of stuff in one hand and gripped his arm with the other as he unsteadily transferred into a wheelchair.

"You owe me a cigarette."

"Fair enough. Let's go home." Alex swung the footrests into position and helped him prop his feet on them. Then she handed him the bag and went to the rear of the wheelchair. She freed the brakes and pushed him out of the room.

* * *

The whiteboard was marked with an elaborate tree diagram. Convoluted as it was, Bobby had managed to find a link between each and every victim. It had to do with fitness equipment. Some were linked through a gym, others through medical channels, and one victim worked in a school. All had access to exercise equipment. Bobby made a list of all the places the equipment could be found. He gathered up the things he needed in his binder, and headed out.

* * *

"Be careful, Dad, crutches aren't as easy as they look."

"I've been on crutches before, darling."

Alex smiled. She inched behind him on the stairs, ready to catch him if he fell backwards. At last, they reached his door. She handed him her key, and waited for him to unlock it.

He left the keys in the lock and hobbled inside. John Eames went straight to his recliner and managed to get himself seated. "Cigarette?" he asked her.

Alex put his bag of things down and released the catch on the recliner. Once she got his leg elevated, she retrieved his cigarettes, lighter, and ashtray.

"You've always been my favorite," he teased, as he tapped the pack against his hand, coaxing a stick out.

"I'm your favorite because I'm the only one here," she snarked. "What do you want to eat?"

"Pizza."

"How about chicken?"

"Suit yourself." Alex got busy pulling things out of cabinets in the kitchen while he lit up his precious cigarette.

"So how long are you going to babysit me this time?" he asked.

"Well, Dad, until you're getting around the house okay by yourself."

"Good, you can leave tonight."

"I'm thinking maybe when you can put some weight on that ankle."

"Ah, hell."

She ignored that comment, and stuck the chicken in the oven. Then she found a can of green beans and opened it.

"How's Bobby?" he called from the living room.

Alex felt a flush in her cheeks. "Fine, Dad."

"And he knows about this?" he asked, gesturing to his wrapped foot.

"Yeah, I called him a couple of times yesterday."

"Invite him over."

"What?"

"For dinner tonight. We can play some poker, talk shop."

Alex chuckled. "Okay, Dad. I'll ask him."

* * *

Everything seemed to take longer without Alex at his side. He drove, he interviewed people, he took notes, he drove to the next place, etc. etc. Bobby was tired. The phone rang while he was driving, and he almost answered it before he heard her voice in his head. He drove the rest of the way to Pinecrest Rehab Center and parked. Then he picked up the phone. Sure enough, the call had been from Alex. He dialed her back.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi."

"So my Dad wants to have you over for dinner tonight."

Bobby smiled. "You got him home, then?"

"Yeah."

"What time is dinner?"

"Uh, 6ish?"

"I don't think I'll be ready that early."

"Okay, 7."

"Seven it is."

"How's it coming?"

"It's coming." He filled her in on the connection with the exercise equipment.

Alex smiled, proud of him. "I'll leave you to it, Bobby. See you later."

"Bye, Alex."

* * *

Bobby explored the floor of the physical therapy room. He wandered between the machines, stopping to provide encouraging words to the patients who were working out.

"Where?"

"He was just—oh, he's over there now. Detective!" The intern called to him. Bobby came over, carefully stepping out of the way of the moving parts of a ski machine. "This is Mr. Palatin. He's the head of the department here."

Bobby shook Palatin's hand. "Glad to meet you," he said. "I'm trying to sort out a… cold case of mine. I need to ask a few questions."

"Certainly. Come to my office," Palatin said, and led the way to a corner office.

Bobby sat down and opened his binder, balancing it on his right knee so he could write with his left hand. "I'm wondering if you have an inventory of the equipment here in October of 2003?"

"We do an annual inventory every January. By October we usually have a few new pieces of equipment. Would you like '03 & '04?"

"Sure, sure," Bobby said, scribbling as he nodded. "And what about repairs? How do you do that?"

"Some things my staff just fixes themselves, but the newest equipment is usually on warranty, and we can call the company to send someone out."

Bobby scribbled.

"Did you know Amanda Driscoll?"

"Uh, no. I was hired on in '06. I heard about her, though."

Bobby leaned in a little, careful not to drop his binder. "She was well liked around here?"

"Oh, yes. Even when I was hired, people still mourned."

"Uh, what people? Can you give me some names?"

Palatin rattled off some names and Bobby thanked him. He zipped his binder shut, shook the man's hand, and headed back to 1PP to brief the captain.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"This is the paperwork to request a restraining order," Bobby explained, handing her the small packet. "But Carver, he's the lawyer I spoke with, he said without any recent events of him trying to harm you or the kids, it's not likely to be granted." Bobby was apologetic.

Bella was crushed. "Oh. Okay. Thank you, Bobby."

"He did say that he can't just show up demanding to see them. He said he needs to request time with them in advance… so it's okay for you to say no if he just shows up like yesterday."

Tears welled in her eyes, and he turned his head away and shuffled his feet. "Okay."

"I'm sorry, Bella," Bobby said, glancing at her.

"Mama! Is that Bobby?!" Cisco hollered from inside the apartment.

Bella wiped her eyes on her sleeve and forced a smile. "Yes, honey. He was just dropping something off." She waved the papers in the air and went inside to put them away, leaving the door open.

Cisco leapt into his arms. Bobby gave him a hug. "You be a good boy tonight!"

"You're not staying?"

"No. I have to go see a friend," he said. "Where's your brother?"

"He's having a sleepover at Martin's house."

"Wow, a sleepover?"

"Yeah. He already called Mama twice. I think he's going to cry all night!"

"I hope not." Bobby gave the boy another hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, Cisco. Take good care of your Mom." He waited to make sure the boy closed and locked the door, then turned and left.

* * *

"Bobby!" John Eames called happily from his recliner. He snuffed out his cigarette, leaving the butt in the ashtray. "Good to see you."

Bobby went to the old man and shook his hand. "Thanks for the invitation, Mr. Eames. How's the leg?"

"Big as a balloon. You'd think it would be down by now, but, no."

"If you would stay off it, Dad…" Alex began. She allowed herself to glance at Bobby, and her entire face changed. He grinned at her. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Alex," he replied. Bobby sat on the couch near her father as Alex went back into the kitchen. Bobby looked at the television, and saw the Knicks were playing. "Who's up?" he asked.

"Suns have 'em by 6," John replied. "How's work?"

They paused to watch an exciting play, then Bobby answered. "Sorting out a cold case that just heated up again. Not much to go on, but I'm making some headway."

"Alex should be with you."

Bobby grinned, and shot him a look. "Alex is always with me." He covered the slip by adding, "I keep her posted."

Eames was no fool. He knew something was brewing between his daughter and Goren. He reached for his pack of cigarettes and offered one to Bobby. "Smoke?"

"No sir. I, uh… I quit. A while back."

Eames shrugged. He started to get another out for himself, then thought better of it.

"Dinner's ready," Alex called from the kitchen. "Bobby, give Dad a hand getting out of that chair."

Bobby did as she said, helping him fold the chair back down and getting him his crutches. Mr. Eames made no complaint. He headed down the hall to the bathroom.

Bobby took advantage of the moment's privacy to pull Alex into a kiss. She returned the favor, and they only managed to separate just before he saw them. Bobby pulled out a chair and took John's crutches as he sat down.

"You know," John said as he cut a piece of pork chop, "your mother used to make Brussels sprouts every time she got lonely for me."

Alex looked down at the bowl of Brussels sprouts and up at her Dad, who was trying not to smile at her. "You're so full of it, Dad."

Bobby didn't miss any part of the exchange, including the slight tint in Alex's cheeks. He decided to change the subject. "I went over for Cisco's birthday yesterday," he said.

Alex shot him a look, and he scrambled, but couldn't think of any way to backtrack.

"Cisco?"

"He's… my neighbor's kid. He just turned 8." Bobby decided not to add any more information.

"You're going to a kid's birthday party? Must be good friends with the parents, hey?" Eames asked.

A flush of red crept up Bobby's neck. "Uhm, his mother," he said quietly.

John stared at him. "Oh. Maybe I was wrong about the sprouts," he mumbled.

Alex shook her head at Bobby. "She was mugged a few weeks ago. Bobby's been… helping out," she explained to her father. After a brief bit of eye contact to get Bobby's permission, she added, "and you weren't wrong about the sprouts."

The old man smiled at his daughter.

"Actually, the boys' father showed up right before we cut the cake. I had to… scare him off."

Alex looked up with concern.

"She said he hasn't come around for years. She was very upset." He met Alex's stare. "I think he was high."

John Eames finished off his pork chop and shook his head. "I hate when kids have to deal with that."

"Tomorrow's laundry night," Alex said quietly.

"Yeah," said Bobby.

"Are the boys okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah. They, uh… I don't think they know what went on in the hall."

"You okay, Dad?" Alex asked, noticing the grimace on his face.

"It's…just…throbbing," he explained. "I'm going back to my chair."

Bobby helped him get his crutches and followed him to the living room. Once the old man was in the chair, he returned to his plate.

"Should I be worried?" Alex asked him.

"Not any more than usual," Bobby said, shrugging it off. "He hasn't been around in 3 years. Chances are he'll just vanish again."

"Poor Bella," Alex said.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Alex found some tv tray tables and Bobby and her Dad had a few good hands of poker before the old man called it a night. Bobby helped him to his room, then turned things over to Alex to get him settled in for the night. He waited in the living room, alternately watching the outdated sitcom on tv and thinking about the Hopkins case.

Alex came in quietly and sank down next to him on her father's worn couch. "Dad said if he hears any hanky-panky he's coming out with his handgun."

Bobby chuckled. "We'll have to make sure he doesn't hear anything, then," he whispered, and reached out to pinch her nipple.

Alex smacked his hand away, then leaned against him. He put his arm around her and soon they were occupied with a probing kiss.

"Alex!" her father called.

The lovers separated. Bobby looked a little concerned.

Alex shook her head. "Don't worry, he does this about 5 times every night, before he finally goes to sleep." She got up from the couch and headed down the hall. "Yeah, Dad?"

Bobby let his head fall against the back of the couch while he waited for her. He heard her pour a glass of water in the kitchen, and heard her taking it to him down the hall. She came up behind him and leaned over the back of the couch to kiss his forehead. He locked eyes with her, and she bent down, kissing him upside down.

Bobby raised his hands up, and she grasped them with her own. Just as he started to pull her hands down to his chest, her father called again. They broke apart.

"Coming, Dad," she said wearily.

This time, Bobby heard her open and close the hall closet. When she came back, she flopped next to him on the couch.

"Five minutes," Alex predicted.

"I can do a lot in 5 minutes," Bobby said, slipping his hand inside her shirt. He felt her smile against his lips and groped her happily.

"Alex!"

He dropped his hands, and she hung her head a moment before getting up.

"That wasn't 5 minutes," Bobby said.

She smiled and kissed him gently. "Be right back."

This time, she came back and enlisted Bobby's help. He went into her father's bedroom and followed the old man's instructions to position his ancient, heavy, television into just the right spot. "Good night, Mr. Eames," Bobby said respectfully, and left the room.

"Dad, please," Alex pleaded.

"What?" The old man said. Then his face softened. "Oh, yeah, the Brussels sprouts."

Alex sighed.

"Go on, if I need anything, I'll just suffer as long as I can stand it before I ask for help," he said.

"Dad!"

"Good night, Darling."

She stared at him, unsure if he was sincere this time. "I love you, Dad."

"Love you too," he muttered, his eyes fixed on the basketball game on his newly positioned tv screen.

Alex slowly walked back out to the living room, where she found Bobby stretched out on the couch. His shoes were tucked under the coffee table and his size 13's were sticking up off the arm of the couch.

He raised his legs and made room for her to sit under them. She held his legs on her lap and watched the tv for a few minutes, waiting for her father to beckon again. After 10 minutes, Bobby's toes started to bump in places they shouldn't. She turned to him, and he smiled.

Alex couldn't suppress her own grin. She moved over him, falling into his embrace. She kissed his neck and felt his hands roaming down her back. The two wriggled in the confines of the couch, reaching for neglected parts and fully expecting another interruption at any given moment.

None came. Alex managed to bring him to full attention before she remembered that they could pull out the couch and have a little more room. Bobby swiftly but stealthily moved the coffee table aside and together, they converted the couch into a bed. Alex retrieved some sheets and an old quilt from the closet. She even found an extra pillow, and before long, they were naked in just the right places.

The couch had a squeak, but her father's television was so loud, she didn't think he heard a thing.

* * *

She nudged him awake in the early dawn. "Put these back on," she whispered, handing him his shorts.

Bobby slipped them on under the sheet, and Alex threw the sheet and blanket over him before she went down the hall to the bathroom. Bobby heard the water running before he drifted into sleep again.

He heard the gurgling of the coffee maker, and her father calling her from his bedroom. Bobby rolled out of bed and found his pants. He made short work of folding up the couch, and then carefully folded the sheets and blankets and put them in a pile on one end. He scraped his fingers against his curls, and then rubbed his whiskers. He caught a whiff of Alex on them, and decided he'd better go wash up.

Alex settled her father into his recliner and retrieved his medicine from the kitchen. He was grumpy as ever from the throbbing pain, and didn't seem the least bit bothered that she and Bobby had slept together in his house.

Alex cracked two eggs into the frying pan and stuck the bacon in the microwave. After a quick kiss, she handed Bobby two coffees and he took one to her father.

"Good morning, sir," Bobby said, handing the cup to John.

He grunted in response. Bobby glanced at the man's ankle and settled down on the clear end of the couch with his own coffee. He sipped it quietly and watched Alex bring her Dad a plate, followed by one for him.

Bobby finished his breakfast and collected Mr. Eames' plate along with his own. Alex was eating at the kitchen table. She raised one eyebrow, but didn't stop him from washing the dishes. It was his way of helping out.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Bobby went to work without her again, with her promise that she would be in by afternoon. For some reason, he found it very hard to leave her. She finally urged him away, and he paused to give her father well-wishes before he headed out the door.

Now, Bobby drove to 1PP, his thoughts again distracted by the Hopkins case. He managed to arrive with the SUV in one piece, and parked it easily in the garage. Bobby gathered up his binder and headed for the elevator, showing his ID along the way.

He spent the morning reading all the inventory reports, and making notes of common machines in each place. There were so many items on each list that it was hard to keep track of them all. He copied each list and used a colored highlighter to mark the ones he thought he was seeing in more than one place.

When Ross approached, he didn't hear him.

"Goren."

Bobby looked up. "Oh, hi, Captain."

"Any progress?"

"Yes sir, I'm finding some commonalities here," he said, waving his hand over the inventory lists.

"Eames called. She'll be in by noon," Ross announced. "Maybe by then you'll have something to track down."

"Yeah, I think so," Bobby said as the Captain walked away.

* * *

"I see two possibilities," Bobby explained. "There are a lot of these 'Velocity' machines popping up at all places. I think we either need to look at sales or repair."

Alex looked over his notes. "They already know you. You track down sales from the customer end and I'll work on repair form the other end."

"Yeah, okay." He made some calls, then slipped her a note that he was headed out to gather up the slips in person.

She nodded and waved, her phone still tucked against her ear.

* * *

Driving across town from place to place was eating up a lot of time, but it couldn't be helped. Bobby had copies of sales receipts tucked into his binder and was just heading inside to ask for more when his cell vibrated in his pocket. The name on the screen read BELLA. He quickly answered, "Hello?"

He heard nothing but distant shouting and what sounded like crying. "Hello?" Bobby asked again, turning back toward the car in a jog. He heard a crash over the phone and more crying. Bobby hung up the phone and dialed dispatch quickly.

"I need a unit to" he spouted the address. "Possible domestic violence. It's the mother's residence, and she has two young kids. I think one of them may have called me." He started the car and turned the wheels back to the street. "Yeah, Robert Goren, Major Case. I'm a friend of the family. I'll meet them over there."

He hung up and decided against calling back. If one of the boys had called, the ringing of the phone could give away their hiding place. He tossed the phone on the empty seat next to him and drove as fast as traffic would allow.

* * *

There were three units there when he pulled up. Bobby parked the car and ran down the street. He showed his badge and introduced himself to one of the officers.

"Bobby!" Cisco yelled, followed by his brother. Bobby turned to a patrol car and saw them waving from inside. He walked over and opened the door, pulling them both into hugs. "I knew you'd come!" Cisco said.

"Get back in, it's cold," Bobby said quietly. The boys slid into the back seat of the cruiser and Bobby sat on the edge of the seat with the door open. "You called me, Cisco?"

"Yeah. Daddy was yelling at Mama and he hit her and…"

Bobby ran his hand through the boy's hair. "It's all right. Help is here." Bobby said it, hoping it was true. "You boys stay in the car where it's warm. I'm going to go talk to the officers, find out more about what's going on." He patted them both on the head, slipped out, and shut the door.

He wandered up to the first officer he met, who directed him inside. Bobby approached her apartment warily. He saw some officers with the boys' father in the hall. He was handcuffed and sitting on the floor. He went to the apartment door, and saw her on her couch, arms folded and on the verge of tears. He showed his badge to the officer there and approached her.

"Bobby!" She said and tears rolled down her cheek.

The officers interviewing her turned to him. He showed his badge. "I'm a… friend of the family," Bobby said.

"You're the one called dispatch?"

Bobby nodded. The officers stepped out of the way, and Bobby sank down beside her on the couch. She threw one arm around him and sobbed. He hugged her silently. "I was just with the boys," he said. "They're fine, staying warm."

She pulled away and wiped her eyes with one hand. "You're hurt?" he asked.

She looked at her other arm and nodded. "He… twisted it." Bobby looked over at the officers.

"Paramedics are on their way."

Bella flinched when she heard her ex yelling in the hallway. Bobby turned and saw the officers leading him out of the building. He looked back at Bella, then stood and motioned to one of the cops with his head.

The officer obliged him. "He showed up, demanded visitation, and when she told him he needed to plan these things ahead of time, he forced his way in and started throwing things. At some point he grabbed her by the arm and twisted it. The boys hid behind the couch until we got here and broke it up."

"She said last Sunday was the first time she'd seen him in three years."

"Yeah, she told us that, too."

"The neighbor, Martha Kohl, she could verify that."

"We don't need it, but the courts might." The paramedics arrived and examined her arm, then wrapped it.

"Okay to bring the boys back in?" Bobby asked.

The officer looked around. "Sure."

Bobby went downstairs and got the boys out of the patrol car. Felipe jumped into his arms and he held Cisco by the hand and walked them back into the building, back home.

Bella hugged the boys tightly as she listened to the instructions from the paramedic. Bobby shook the officers' hands and gave them his card as they left. He turned to Bella. "Where's Martha?" he asked.

"She goes to her daughter's on Tuesdays." He nodded and stepped away, bringing the phone up to his ear.

"Hi Alex," he said quietly.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Cisco was helping his mother clean up the broken items from the bookshelf while Bobby stood, holding Felipe in his arms. The younger boy was curled against him, his cheek resting on Bobby's shoulder. The doorbell rang, and Bobby walked over, checking through the peephole before opening it.

Alex gave him a smile, then offered it for the others in the room. She held up a bag. "I brought some burgers," she said.

Bobby took her by the hand and announced, "This is Alex." Felipe lifted his head, looked at her, then laid back down. Cisco waved.

Bella walked over, wiped her hands on her pants, took the bag from Alex, and shook her hand. She smiled. "Thank you, Alex." Bella led the way to the dining table and called to the boys. Bobby put Felipe down and watched him scamper to the table. He still held fast to Alex's hand.

Bella gave him a questioning look. "Look, uh," Bobby began. "You should… uh, be with the boys." He glanced over at Alex. "We're gonna go… Just, you know, call me if you need anything."

"Bye, Bobby," Cisco said, and Bobby's heart melted.

He let go Alex's hand and went to the table, where he petted each child on the head. "Bye, kiddos."

Bella held out her arms and gave him a hug, thanking him again.

"T-take care," he muttered, and then took Alex by the hand and marched toward the door. She waved to them all.

As they walked out of the building and down the street, he held tight to her hand. Alex didn't say anything, but she could tell he was troubled. At the entrance to his building, he finally turned to her. "I was… just like them," he said, gesturing back towards Bella's place.

Her eyes exuded compassion, but words failed her. Lifting a hand to his cheek, she held it there, watching him deal with emotions churning inside like so much silt stirred up from the bottom of a pool.

At last he turned, and she followed him inside.

* * *

They sat in the glow of a single lamp, his arm draped over her shoulder and her back pressed against his chest. Each held a glass of wine. Bobby's voice was almost a whisper.

"And every time, I felt like my world was crumbling." He paused for a sip of wine. "I would shake, for hours afterwards."

"Nobody to hold you," she softly said.

"F-Frank tried to comfort me. Ma tried, too, for that matter," he jerked his head to one side, "earlier, you know, before the… the break."

"Cisco and Felipe have their mother," she reminded him. "And they have that neighbor." Alex shifted her glass to her left hand and put her right hand on top of his, at her hip. "And they have you."

He dropped a kiss on her head before finishing the rest of his wine. "I hope it was right to leave them."

Alex set her glass on the coffee table and turned to look him in the eye. "She hasn't called. They're fine. You did the right thing." She kissed his lips, tasting the sweetness of the wine lingering there. She felt his hand run through the hair at the back of her head, as he pressed his mouth harder against hers.

Bobby closed his eyes and breathed her in. He wanted to force away those old demons, chase them back to the past where they belonged. He felt her pause, and opened his eyes again. He stared into hers, and she saw the longing in his eyes.

His tie was long since shed. She kept her face close enough to feel his breath as she twisted his buttons free. Bobby's lips brushed against the skin of her face while she worked. He opened one hand and curled it against her lowest ribs while the other moved slowly down her back on onto her hip.

Once the buttons were free, he sat up, supporting her with his hand as he lifted her. Bobby shucked the shirt off and pulled his undershirt over his head, tossing both to the floor. Staring her down, he unfastened her buttons from the bottom up, and splayed his fingers over the bare skin of her abdomen. Their lips held fast and she let his hands roam against her chest as she peeled the shirt back off her arms and let it drop to the floor.

As their lips broke free, he took a deep breath, head bent and staring at her bra. His hands washed over each round breast as he breathed hard and felt the blood pooling below his belt. Bobby slid his hands around her back as Alex combed her fingers through the gray curls on his chest. He fumbled with the clasp, but it fell free and he smiled as he saw her flesh fall out of the confines of the bra.

Alex swept the undergarment away quickly, and Bobby kissed each nipple. He took one inside his warm mouth and sucked it gently, drawing a gentle moan from her lips. She clenched her teeth as she felt his teeth scraping gently against her. He did not bite. He didn't have to.

Bobby released her and moved to the other breast, giving it equal attention. Alex ran her hands down his chest, against the fabric of his trousers. She placed one warm palm over the throbbing rock in his pants. She felt Bobby's breath cold against her nipple as he gasped in surprise. She moved her hand against him, and felt the vibration of his moan against her skin.

Bobby kissed her three times as he fumbled with his own belt. He yanked himself away and stood, dropping his pants to the floor. She stood and did the same, and soon they were clinging against each other, naked as the day they were born.

Bobby's tongue danced with hers as his hand drifted down between her legs. She arched her head back as she felt his fingers pushing inside her, and he shifted his kisses to the vulnerable softness of her neck. Alex wrapped her hand around his rod and massaged it as they moved against each other.

She squealed, and he grunted, and soon he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and he carried her to the wall, stopping only when he was leaning his back securely against it. Bobby positioned himself beneath her and she sank slowly down over him, sheathing him in her tight warmth.

He groaned with pleasure and she clasped her hands tightly behind his neck as he lifted her and felt her falling over him again. Alex pushed up again and again, her ankles crossed and using the wall as leverage. She kept her face pressed tight against his neck, and his breath came heavy in her ear.

Bobby's entire body was working now, hands lifting, pelvis thrusting, legs supporting both their weight. Her hands moved between his head and the wall, providing a cushion there from the percussive movements of their bodies.

They worked to a crescendo and cried out in unison with each thrust. Bobby's fingers dug into her skin as he convulsed, whimpering in protest to the stalled breath in his chest. At last he exhaled, and panted, his body sagging heavily against the wall. He wrapped his arms around her and she loosed her legs, sinking to the floor. They both sighed when the connection was broken.

Dark and stillness, save for their breathing, was all that filled the room. After an eternity, he felt her shiver in his arms. They staggered to the warmth of his waiting bed.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

They slept curled together most of the night, until the dream flashed between them with the intensity of a strobe light.

Goren was relieved that she had not woken. He rolled onto his back and tried to still his racing heart. With the back of his hand, he wiped the sweat off his face. After several minutes of staring at the grooves in the ceiling, he slipped out of bed. He grabbed some old sweats off the bathroom floor and wore them to the kitchen, where he set up the pot for coffee.

In those wee hours, Bobby allowed himself to spend some time thinking of his family.

* * *

Four hours later, they sat together at their desks at 1PP, coffee and Danish at the ready. "Okay, I got the last one," Bobby said. "Only two machines purchased from the same vendor."

Alex looked her information over. "I've done better. I see the same signature on 5 of these repair invoices." She frowned. "Unfortunately, I can't read it." She handed him one.

Bobby frowned at it, too. "Okay, so we'll pay a visit to Velocity."

She packed up her Danish to take it with her. He gave her a questioning look. "I really needed this, this morning. You drive."

Bobby smiled as he zipped his binder. They grabbed their coats and headed out.

* * *

Bobby handed over the invoice. The manager nodded. "Yeah, that's Haskell. Armand Haskell. He got transferred to LA for a while, but he came back about 6 months ago." The man stood and walked past the detectives. "Excuse me," he said, and left the room. Bobby and Alex glanced at each other hopefully. He came back. "Ah, he's out in the field today, I don't know if we'll see him until tomorrow."

"Where?"

Bobby wrote down the addresses and all the information they could get about Armand's workload for the day. They managed to get a copy of his very blurry picture from his employee ID. Then they headed out.

* * *

"Okay, so two calls, opposite ends of town. How do you want to play this?" Bobby asked her.

"It depends. We've got nothing on this guy, right, just a hunch?"

Bobby nodded.

Alex frowned at him, thinking. "Then we'll split up, find him, ask him to come in and talk."

Bobby nodded, and she dropped him at the nearest subway tunnel.

* * *

Alex kept her hands in her pockets to warm them. The wind outside had turned her fingers to ice.

"I'd like to know when they're coming, too. I've been staring at that damn piece of junk for nearly a week now." The owner of the gym was fuming. "They said they would come last Friday, and then at closing time, I hear they can't make it."

Alex gave him a sympathetic smile. "You mind if I hang around a while?"

He shrugged. "Do what you want." He went past her and grabbed a spray bottle and a towel off the counter, then busied himself wiping down machines.

* * *

Bobby entered the Physical Therapy center and ran a hand through his hair, wiping the cold away from his ears. He tucked his binder in the crook of his left arm and headed for the front desk.

"May I help you?"

He showed his shield. "I heard you had a Velocity repairman coming today. I just wanted to meet him, ask him a couple of questions. Is he here yet?"

"Not yet. You can have a seat over there."

Bobby asked for the restroom instead, and followed her instructions to get there. After washing his hands, he came back out to find the man sitting on the broken seat of the machine, testing its gears. Bobby waved to the receptionist and walked over.

"Armand Haskell?" he asked.

Armand looked over. "Yes?"

Bobby showed his shield. "I'm Detective Goren. My partner and I have a few questions for you. We'd like you to come down to the station."

"I-uh- sure, but I've got to fix this machine."

Bobby smiled. "It'll still be broken when you get back."

"Oh. Okay," Armand said. He carefully slipped his coat back on and closed his toolbox. Then he walked with Bobby out the front door.

Outside, Armand said he needed to get something from his car. Bobby followed him into the alley, and that's when he felt the burn as the bullet slipped through his chest. It all seemed to be in slow motion. He didn't feel himself hit the ground, but his perspective changed, and he was looking at a light snow falling past the stone rooftops directly toward him.

* * *

Alex raced through the crowded ER, with Ross running at her heels. She stopped when she saw them wheel his gurney into a room and a gowned worker put her hands up in front of her. "We need to get him stabilized, then you can see him," she announced, and Alex stood frozen, her heart in her mouth.

Ross took her by the shoulders and gently guided her to the chairs lining the other side of the hall. Alex's legs were shaky, and she half fell into the seat. She hugged herself and stared in the direction of the room they had Bobby in.

"Alex, are you all right?" Ross was asking in her ear. "You look kind of pale," he said.

She realized he was right, she didn't feel well at all. Alex leaned far forward in her chair, her hands clasped behind her head. Ross kept a firm grip on her arm, so she wouldn't fall. She took several deep breaths, then slowly sat back up.

He seemed satisfied with her color, and loosened his grip on her arm. Ross' phone rang. He answered it with his other hand. "Yeah. Good. Keep me posted." He ended the call and looked over at Eames. "They found Haskell's car. It won't be long, now."

* * *

Once he had his own room in ICU, Alex came back to herself. She was still very worried, but at least she could see him, sit with him. The doctors had all been optimistic, and that had helped, too. Now she stood in the hall outside his room, briefing two junior detectives on the Hopkins case, and everything they'd found so far. Ross stood by and listened.

"Yeah, we got word from Jose. The hair gel does work as a silencer. He used a couple of water bottles and made one in about 10 minutes."

The other detective spoke. "That's why nobody heard this," he said, jerking his head in the direction of Bobby's room. "We found that same blue gel in Detective Goren's clothes."

Alex swallowed hard, and Ross interrupted. "All right, good job, boys. If you need Detective Eames for anything else, just give one of us a call." Alex walked back into Bobby's room while Ross shooed them away.

* * *

When they brought in Haskell at 10:00 that night, Alex had to fend off a swarm from the news media. Ross had long since gone home, and Alex, with the help of a dedicated night nurse, were the only thing standing between the reporters and Bobby.

"Look, he's in no condition for all this," Alex said. "You need to leave."

"You're Eames, his partner, right?"

She nodded.

"Can you at least let us talk to his family? We'd really love to get the story of the hero out there."

"He has no family," she whispered.

"If you all don't leave, I'm calling security," said the nurse. "This commotion is no good for any of our patients."

Cameras flashed and Eames looked on sadly while the reporters reluctantly left the floor. With a grateful nod to the nurse, she went back in to sit at Bobby's side.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"He never gave up on finding my son's killer. Even after all these years…" A teary-eyed Mrs. Hopkins was speaking to the camera. Half of New York City was watching it on three channels.

The reporter finished the story. "And so, the officer, a man with no family of his own, put his life on the line to bring justice to the family of a man he never knew. Our thoughts and prayers are with you tonight, Detective," she said, nodding to the hospital as the camera panned up sixteen floors and was covered by wet drops of snow.

* * *

He thought he wasn't breathing, and inhaled quickly, desperately. The sudden inflation of his lungs caused a deep, searing pain in his chest. Bobby yelped and blinked rapidly. He squeezed his eyes shut and took shallow breaths, wishing the pain to recede.

He heard her before he felt her hand. "…okay, Bobby, you're okay. The doctors are taking good care of you."

The pain was still there, but it was just a nagging ache now. He opened his eyes, and another weak yelp escaped his lips. Somehow, his eyes met hers. She smiled at him, and he felt the warmth of her hand over his.

"You just need to rest, Bobby. Relax, and rest. I'll be right here with you."

His eyes closed, and he did rest. It still hurt, but he rested.

* * *

"You look like you can use this," Ross said, offering her a tall paper cup filled with coffee. She took it gratefully, and burned her tongue on the first sip. "How is he?"

"Something happened this morning, and they ran in there and… I don't know, Captain. They say he's stable again."

"You could use some sleep."

She scoffed. "I'll sleep when I can."

Ross sipped from his own coffee cup, then skirted around her and into Goren's room. He looked at Bobby, then at the monitors, then walked back out to join Alex in the hall. He drank more of his coffee and buried one hand deep in his pocket. "News picked up the story. It was on at 11 and replayed again at 6 this morning."

"They didn't—" She began, worried that they released his name.

"No, they just referred to him as 'Detective,' and 'Officer.'" Ross turned his head to look down the hall. He continued. "They did know something, though. They said he had no family."

Alex sighed. "That's my fault. They came here, and would have been in the room with him… I guess I let that slip."

Ross nodded. "At least they're on our side this time. The whole city's pulling together to support the hero."

It might have been sarcastic, but it wasn't. Alex knew Ross well enough to know he respected Bobby.

He put a hand on her arm. "At least get some breakfast. I'll stay here."

Alex didn't believe the knot in her stomach would allow her to eat anything, but she knew she should try. She nodded, glanced once more at Bobby, then walked down the hall.

* * *

The call hadn't been easy to make. Alex had only met her once, after all. She did it for Bobby. She knew he cared about Bella and her family. He would want them to know.

Alex saw her hand was still wrapped from the incident with the boys' father. She shook it gently, then stepped into the hall while Bella visited him. A few minutes later, Bella was in the hall with her, tears filling her eyes. They hugged.

* * *

This time, the pain didn't come as a surprise. Bobby listened, eyes closed, using his other senses to get his bearings. Hospital. Yes, it was a hospital. He remembered the last time he'd awakened. Alex. "Alex?" It was barely a whisper.

Instantly, her fingers twined with his. "I'm right here, Bobby."

He squeezed her hand. The pain was constant. Every breath burned. This was quite possibly the worst he'd ever felt. He tried to concentrate on her touch instead.

Alex watched him. His eyes were closed, but she could tell when he was awake, and she saw it, too, when his face relaxed and he drifted back into sleep. She looked down at his hand, wrapped in hers, and with the other arm, wiped her tears on her sleeve. She swallowed, forced them back again, and sat back in the chair, reluctantly letting go of his hand. She looked at all the monitors and bags and tubes and then at his face. He was better than yesterday. That was something.

* * *

The flowers had started to arrive before noon. The first was from Annabelle Hopkins. The next, from Mrs. Kohl. The nurses put them on the windowsill. Logan stopped by with a bunch of balloons from the squad. Haskell hadn't confessed, but the evidence in the other murders was becoming more and more damning. More cards and flowers came, from the ADA's office, from the families of the other victims. Alex didn't even know who some of the people were.

By evening, there were so many cards and flowers that they wouldn't fit on the sill anymore. The nurses put the larger ones on the floor by the wall. Alex stood in front of it all, in wonder.

"Hello, Alex," Bella said.

Alex turned, and gave her a smile. "Hi."

Bella handed her two homemade cards. "Cisco and Felipe."

Alex opened them and read them. The boys had drawn pictures to go with their "get well" messages. Bobby playing football with them. Bobby holding their hands. She smiled. "He'll like this," she said. She put the cards near him, on the tray that held his empty water pitcher.

"You're tired," Bella said.

Alex nodded.

"Maybe you can rest while I'm here," she offered. She gestured to the cushioned chair in the corner. Alex was going to protest, but seeing that she wasn't being asked to leave, she nodded. She went to the chair, got herself as comfortable as she could, and within minutes was sound asleep. Bella sat next to Bobby's bed, silently fingering the rosary she'd pulled from her pocket.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The next morning, Liz arrived with a small bag of clean clothes for her sister. Alex hugged her sister, who insisted she accompany her to the cafeteria for breakfast. Alex was torn about leaving Bobby, but she knew he would most likely sleep all day again, and she had to eat.

She went back in, and kissed his forehead before following her sister down the hall.

They got their trays and sat at a chilly table that was way too close to a window. The sky was gray, and the light dusting of snow on the ground was melted in patches. Alex shivered and reached for her coffee.

"Dad wanted to come with me. It was all I could do to keep him in his chair."

"How is he?" Alex asked, suddenly feeling very guilty for neglecting her father.

"He's much better, Alex. He's getting around quite well, but you know how unstable it is to use crutches. I think it's just safer if he stays home as much as possible, at least until he can get around without them." She scooped up some eggs and washed them down with a swig of orange juice. "Anyway, Johnny and Mel came over with the kids. That was the only way I could trust him to stay home." Liz looked over her cup at her sister. "He thinks the world of Bobby, Alex. We all do."

That brought a real smile to Alex's lips. She thought back to a few nights ago, when she and Bobby were stealing kisses, waiting for her father to fall asleep.

"Hey," Liz was saying. Alex snapped out of her daydream and made eye contact with her sister. "Your eggs are getting cold."

Nodding, she scooted the fork across her plate and brought a mouthful to her lips.

* * *

A cheerful young nurse was coming out of the room as Alex returned. "Oh good! Someone's been asking for you," she said.

Alex hurried inside and found him wide awake, staring at the cards the boys had sent. He shifted his gaze to her.

"Hey," she said quietly.

It was the first time she'd seen him even attempt to smile since being shot. "Hi," he said, his voice weak and raspy.

"Did you get to see them?" She asked, picking up Cisco's card. He shook his head, and she held it closer. Bobby's tiny smile widened a bit. She replaced Cisco's and showed him the one from Felipe. He saw the picture of them walking hand in hand, and his eyes fell on Alex again.

"Bella came by yesterday. She said she and the boys are praying for you."

Bobby licked his dry lips. He didn't really believe in God anymore, but it warmed him to know of their concern.

"Thirsty?" she asked, and he nodded. She spoon-fed him some ice chips from a cup on the table. "Dad sends his love, too," she added.

Bobby's tongue worked against the ice, but they melted so fast he hardly got any relief from them. "Drink?" he asked.

Alex looked over her shoulder. "I don't think you're really allowed to, yet," she said. She saw the disappointment in his face. She looked around once more, then used a straw to hold about a tablespoon of water. She held it to his tongue and lifted her finger from the other end. He swallowed it happily.

"The doctor said if you keep doing so well, they can move you out of ICU as soon as tomorrow."

"More?" he asked.

She went back to the ice chips. He wanted water, but he didn't argue. At least she'd bent the rules a little for him. At last, he turned away when she brought the spoon close. She tossed it back into the cup and set it down.

His lids were getting heavy, but he wanted to stay awake. He wanted to be with her. Bobby turned and looked in her direction. "Love you," he said.

Alex's hand closed over his and she bent down and kissed him. His small smile returned, and he looked into her eyes until he succumbed to sleep.

* * *

The move out of ICU should have been a happy occasion, but the grimace on Bobby's face kept everyone from celebrating. The jostling he endured in the transition brought back the searing pain with a vengeance. He managed to hold in the foul words on the tip of his tongue, and just watched the commotion around him as they rehung IV bags and carried in his personal things.

Of particular interest to him were the flowers. He watched Alex and one of the nurses bring in one plant after another after another. "Alex," he finally said, his interest piqued.

She turned to him and smiled, holding a stand of marigolds just to the side of her face.

"What's all this?" he asked, and sucked in a painful breath.

"Flowers," she said. "A lot of people have been sending them, Bobby."

He was baffled. "Who?"

She read the card on the pot she currently held. "Antonio Esposito."

Bobby cocked his head slightly. She read another name, and another. "Bobby, who are these people?"

He grinned. "The neighborhood," he explained. "Antonio… owns the Italian market. Beth lives three doors down from me." He paused a lot. Talking was painful. "Arthur… you met Arthur. He owns the—"

"The restaurant, I remember," Alex said. She was smiling. "You mean a lot to a lot of people, Bobby."

He said nothing, but blinked his acceptance. He watched as they arranged the bouquets and slipped his hand over to grasp the bar on the rail of the bed. He ran his fingers along the cold metal until finally, they were still.

Alex finished putting his things away and went to sit beside him. She was pleased to find some of the color had returned to his face.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The boys entered slowly, eyes wide and clinging to their mother. Bella waved to Alex, who smiled and stood. "Come in, come in!" She said cheerfully.

Bobby turned his head slowly and grinned when he saw his young friends.

Their mother propelled them forward. They stopped when they were nearly touching the bed. Bobby lifted his left hand, and each boy took a turn squeezing it.

"Hi Bobby," Cisco said, sounding a little sad.

"Hi," Bobby said quietly. After an awkward silence, he glanced over at the cards, still sitting proudly on the tray table beside him. "I got your cards."

Felipe saw the card he had worked so hard on and smiled. Cisco put his head down.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Bobby asked, touching the older boy on the cheek.

Cisco blinked back tears. "You shouldn't be here."

Bobby let the boy hold his hand. He waited for him to continue speaking.

"It's not fair. You just help people!" His tears ran down his cheeks. "I don't want to be a detective anymore."

Bella held her son, who never let go of Bobby's hand. She apologized to Bobby silently.

"It's okay," he wheezed. "Sometimes I feel the same way."

"When will you be better?" Felipe asked.

Alex answered for him. "Bobby's getting better every day. It might be a couple of weeks until he can go home, though."

"I want to play football again," Felipe said.

"Me too," Bobby added. He coughed, and the pain in his chest was crippling. The boys leaned closer to their mother, and Bobby released Cisco's hand. Alex looked at him with concern, and he finally made eye contact with her. Satisfied that he was all right, she relaxed.

"You're tired," Bella said. "We'll come back tomorrow."

Cisco squeezed his hand, and Felipe leaned against him, giving him a semblance of a hug. Bobby rested his hand in the boy's hair. "Thanks for visiting me," he whispered.

"Bye, Bobby," Felipe said. Cisco led the way out of the room while Bella kissed his cheek.

* * *

He slept most of the afternoon, and Alex snuck off to take a shower. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the warm water against her back. Her sister had forgotten her shampoo and conditioner, so she used the tiny bottles in the hospital bathroom. They smelled strange, but they did the job.

When she came out, in clean clothes and with freshly combed hair, she felt refreshed. Alex walked over to what they were now affectionately calling "the garden," and peeked through the plants at the sky outside.

Snow was falling again, though the sky still held some light. As she peeked out at the cold street below, her mind drifted through the events of the past few weeks. Life was always busy, that was true, but it was hard to believe just how much had happened lately. It was too much, too hard, too fast. At least she and Bobby had turned to each other. At least the people she loved were still here with her.

A tapping at the door shook her from her thoughts. She turned, and smiled to see the Captain, in his weekend attire: jeans and a t-shirt.

He saw Bobby was sleeping and moved closer, speaking in a whisper. "How's he doing?"

She nodded. "Better." She told him the last report from the medical staff, and he was glad to hear it.

"You're looking better, too," Ross said.

"It's amazing what a shower can do," she snarked.

"Buy you dinner?" He asked.

"No thanks, Captain. I'm okay."

He put his hands in his pockets, frowned, and nodded. "Tell him I stopped by?"

"I'll do that. Thanks."

She watched Ross walk out and then turned to Bobby, sighing. She knew she would have to return to work soon. He was on the mend, and didn't really require her sitting vigil over him. Besides, with all the time off she'd taken to be with her Dad in the last year, she knew she was running low on sick leave.

She returned to the chair beside him and picked up the novel she'd been reading. It was nothing, a light mystery with ridiculously inaccurate police work and a portion of romantic fluff on the side. She couldn't complain, though. It was helping her to get through the day.

He sighed, and she looked over the pages at him. She watched as he tried to turn to his side. The pain of the movement woke him. He sighed again.

She straightened the blanket over him and dropped her hand into his curls. "You're still here?" He whispered, and she smiled at him. "I thought…" he coughed painfully, then continued, "I thought you'd be back at work."

"It's Sunday," she said. She petted his head slowly, love in her eyes.

"Skipping Church."

She grinned. "You're making jokes! I knew you were getting better."

His hand fell against the book she held in her hand. "What's this?"

"Garbage," she said quickly, but he pulled the paperback away from her. It landed beside him on the bed. He looked at the cover art and title and raised an eyebrow in her direction. She smiled. "I like it. It's funny." Alex squatted down and scooped the book back into her hand. She looked him in the eye. "I love you, Bobby."

He blinked and accepted her gentle kiss.

"I have to go back to work tomorrow," she blurted. "But I'll call and check on you."

He tugged on her hand, and pulled her close again. She obliged him with a kiss. "I'll be here," he said.

* * *

She stayed until 9, and decided it was time to go. He was asleep when she left, but they had removed the oxygen and the catheter. They would call her if anything happened. Alex carried her duffel out to the car.

The cold was a shock. She hadn't remembered it being so cold the other day. She hugged her coat tight with one arm and walked purposefully to the car.

By ten o'clock, she was at her father's place. Johnny Junior let her in, surprised by her presence. "Allie?" he asked.

"I have to get back to work," she explained. "Bobby's doing better. They'll call me if-"

He took her bag from her hands and collected her coat. "Dad just went to bed," he said. "He's probably still up, if you want to see him."

She smiled in thanks and hurried down the hall. She knocked lightly, then stepped inside the dark room. "Dad?"

"Alex? What are you—is Bobby all right?"

"He's okay, Dad." She sat beside him on the mattress. "How are you?"

"If they'd let me, I'd be down at Shooter's, with a beer in one hand and a smoke in the other."

She frowned. "I don't even know if _I_ would let you in that place, Dad."

He grinned. "That'd be half the fun."

She smacked his arm lightly. "I've missed you, Dad. Good night. I'll see you in the morning."

"You're staying?"

She nodded. "For tonight."

"Good night, Darlin'."

"G'night," she said, kissing him on the cheek.


	39. Chapter 39

A/N Okay, so I'm sure you've all figured out by now that I know nothing about anything medical beyond basic first aid. I hope I'm not making him recover too quickly! Don't worry, all will work out eventually. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Chapter 39

Alex sat on the couch in time to be handed a cup of coffee by her brother. "Decaf, I hope?"

He grinned. "Don't worry. Irish coffee. I put enough alcohol in it to counteract the caffeine."

She smiled and took a sip, then made a sour face and laughed. "You aren't kidding! Is there any coffee in this at all?"

He laughed, and spoke in his best brogue, "Just a tad for flavoring."

"Johnny," she said wistfully.

They sat together on the couch and he turned on the television. When the first set of commercials came on, he turned down the volume. "Dad said you and Bobby are… uh…"

She nodded at him, and her heart twisted in her chest. He saw the look and retrieved both of their coffees, setting them safely on the coffee table before she fell into his arms and sobbed. Johnny consoled her. "Shhh," he said. "It's all right."

She finally pulled away from him and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She got up and grabbed a box of tissues. He turned away while she blew her nose. "It's only been… a couple of weeks," she said. "And then this-" The tears filled her eyes again, and she dabbed at them with a tissue.

"What are the doctors saying?"

"They say he's doing well, but there are still a lot of things that could set him back." She sat on the couch again, her box of tissues beside her. Johnny retrieved his coffee, and Alex did the same. She took one sip, then guzzled the rest. "I need a beer," she said.

"There's none. It's Irish Crème or nothing. I guess Liz has been monitoring his alcohol consumption, too." He looked over at his sister, weary and upset. "I could run out and get some for you," he offered.

"It's okay," she said. "Irish Crème is fine."

He grabbed her cup and headed for the kitchen.

"Johnny?" she called.

"Yeah sis?"

"Just skip the coffee this time."

* * *

He didn't answer his phone in the morning, so she called the nurse's station. No change, that was good. Alex thanked them and hung up the phone. She stepped carefully past her brother, who was sleeping in the recliner, and went to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Alex found eggs, but no meat. She made toast and started frying eggs. Her father hobbled in on one crutch and sat at the table. "Morning, sweetie," he said.

"Morning, Dad," she said. He could hear the fatigue in her voice.

"How's Bobby?" he asked, knowing she would have checked first thing.

"No change," she said.

"That's good, then." He stared at his daughter while she poured a cup of coffee. "How's my girl?" he asked.

"I'm okay, I guess."

"You're worried." She nodded. "You're worn out." Again, a nod. "You're anxious about going back to work."

She nodded again, saying, "You know me well." She slid a couple of eggs out of the pan and onto a plate. As she set it in front of her father, she lowered herself into a chair beside him. He put his hand on hers.

"One thing I've learned in this life of mine," he said. "Nothing's more important than the people you love."

"I have to go back to work, Dad."

"I know you do. But you know you won't be able to do your best if your mind is off somewhere else, worrying about him. You go to work, Alex, but if your heart tells you to go to him, then go to him."

She nodded at his plate. "You gonna eat that?"

He tapped the table top with the tips of his fingers. "Fork?" he asked with a grin.

She chuckled, shaking her head. She got up and got two forks out of the drawer.

* * *

Alex stopped by the coffee stand on the way in to the office. "Detective Eames," the vendor called as she was turning to leave. "This is for your partner." He handed her a card. "And this is for you," he said, and handed her a bag.

She peeked inside and smiled at her favorite Danish, the one Bobby usually bought for her. "Thanks," she said.

"We appreciate you guys."

"Thanks again," she said, holding up her cup in salute as she turned to walk away.

* * *

When she made it to the hospital that evening, Bella was sitting with him. She'd brought two new cards made by the boys, and they were on display on the table by Bobby's bed. He was asleep.

"Hi," Alex said quietly.

"Hi."

Alex laid her palm against Bobby's forehead, then let it drift back against his curls. "He looks good," she commented.

"He's been sleeping soundly since I arrived an hour ago," Bella said.

Alex pulled the other chair closer and sat down. She stared at him and took a deep breath. It had been a long and difficult day, but now that she was with him, she could feel the tension ease slightly.

"May I ask something?" Bella leaned her head forward, toward Alex.

"Sure."

"Bobby said… dating you was… new." She smiled shyly. "You don't seem like someone new to him."

Alex cleared her throat and looked nervously at the garden beside the window. "Well, actually, both are true." She looked at her new friend, and saw goodness in her eyes. "We've been friends for years."

Bella smiled. "That explains it." After a pause, she added, "Mrs. Kohl was very disappointed when she found out."

Alex smiled at her. "Where are the boys?"

"Martha has them." She looked at her watch. "I should get going. I told her I would be home by seven."

"Bella, thanks."

She smiled, and looked at Bobby. "He's a good man."

* * *

The nurses came in to do their scheduled rounds, and woke Bobby. He put up with their requests, unhappily offering his arm for the blood pressure cuff, his hand for the oxygen meter. They even asked him for a urine sample. Alex waited in the hall until they were done.

"All done," said a cheerful nurse to Alex as she left the room.

Bobby finished up a cough as she approached. "This sucks," he said miserably.

Alex frowned and took his hand. "You're looking better," she said.

He didn't say anything. He knew it was probably true, but it didn't change the fact that he felt like crap.

Alex remembered something and dug both hands in her purse. She withdrew a blue envelope and showed it to him. "Should I open it?"

He nodded.

She tore the envelope open and withdrew a tasteful get well card. Opening it, she saw that it was signed by all of the people who worked there. She handed it to Bobby. "From people at the coffee stand."

He smiled slightly, and stifled another cough. She watched him carefully. "You should cough that up, clear that stuff out of there."

He shook his head. "Hurts," he complained.

"Just don't make a habit of it," she said, a worried expression on her face.

"Bella was here," Alex announced. "She stayed about an hour." She picked up the new cards and handed them to him.

Bobby looked at the pictures and smiled. Then he turned his head away from her and his body was wracked by a cough. When it subsided, tears streaked his face. He squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced.

Alex stepped out and called the nurse in. She checked Bobby, listened to his lungs, and then spoke. "I'm sure you're hurting. I'll go get your next dose of medication."

Bobby gave her only the slightest indication that he'd heard her. He didn't even acknowledge Alex, except to grip her hand tightly when she laid her fingers against his palm.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Goren shifted his head, and tugged at the blanket with his hand. He had the urge to cough, but was doing his best to suppress it.

"Bobby?" a familiar voice said.

He opened his eyes to see Jimmy Deakins say, with a smile and a wink. "I could've sworn I taught you to duck when somebody pulls a gun on you."

Bobby gave his best shot at a smile, coughed weakly, and held out his right hand to shake the hand of his former Captain.

* * *

Alex finished reading the reports on her desk and frowned at them. She picked up her phone and dialed a quick extension. "Masconi, look, I'm telling you, keep digging. There's an iphone somewhere that will clinch the motive. I know you think you have, but I'm telling you, it's there!" She listened, and her frown turned into a scowl. "Last time I checked, I was the lead detective on this." She listened. "You do that." She hung up the phone angrily, and her eyes were fixed on Bobby's empty desk. She stood up, went around to his side, and opened his top drawer. Withdrawing a stress ball, she squeezed it repeatedly.

"Problems?" Logan asked casually, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I thought they said these things help relieve tension." She tossed the ball back in the desk drawer and slammed it shut. "I'm just as pissed as I was 5 minutes ago." He took another drink of his coffee and waited for her to continue. "The case… they're going at it half-assed."

"You gave 'em a swift kick, I'm sure."

"You could say that."

"Forget about it. They're kids. They don't know the system like we do."

"They're gonna know by the time I'm done with them."

He shrugged. "The lesson we all had to learn. Major Case. They're playing with the Big Boys, now." His words had done little to remove the scowl from her face. He glanced around, then spoke quietly. "You want me to… give 'em a little kick of my own?"

Finally, she smiled. "No, that's all right, Logan. I can handle it."

He leaned on the edge of her partner's desk. "How's Bobby?"

"Okay, this morning. I need to check in again."

"So why don't you?"

"Yeah. I will. Thanks, Logan."

* * *

Bobby cleared his throat and waved his hand at the table next to the bed. "Water?" he asked.

Deakins retrieved the cup and helped Bobby take a slow sip. The bedside phone rang. Deakins answered it and set the cup back on the table. "Robert Goren's room," he said.

Alex was both surprised and relieved to hear Deakins' voice. "Jimmy?"

"Alex, hi!" Deakins smiled.

"I'm glad you got in to see him," she said. "How is he?"

Deakins looked down at Bobby, who was hanging on every word. "Maybe you should ask him," he said, and held the phone for Bobby until he could get a grip on it.

"Hi," Bobby whispered.

"Hey. How are you this morning?" she asked.

"Okay," he lied.

Alex could hear a wheeze in his chest, amplified by the phone. "Still coughing?"

"Some."

"If it gets bad, like last night, you call the nurse."

"Okay."

"I'll call again at lunch. Talk to you soon."

"Okay, bye." He listened to her hang up, then handed the phone back to Deakins, who replaced it in the cradle.

"Your partner's taking care of you?" Deakins asked.

Bobby nodded and said quietly, "Yeah." In that moment, before he closed his eyes, Bobby wished with all his heart that she was back by his side.

* * *

The noon report wasn't good. His temperature was running high, and it looked as if infection was starting. Alex checked in with Ross, then heeded her father's advice. She headed straight for the hospital.

She saw the flush in his cheeks right away. Her cold hands against his forehead made him stir in his sleep. Bobby moaned softly and turned his head away from her. She let her hand rest in his hair, tried to tame his unruly curls. His whiskers were starting to fill in, and she wondered if he'd want to shave them off.

The nurse came in and greeted her. She hung a new bag of medicine and attached it to his IV line. "New antibiotics," she explained. "The doctor wants to nip this in the bud."

Alex nodded, unable to hide the worry in her face. She settled into the chair beside him, and spent some time just holding his hand. She watched as a cough built and grew, and she held him tightly until it was over.

He stared at her through teary eyes. "Hi," he grunted.

Alex mustered up a smile for him. "Hi." She leaned over him and greeted him with a tender kiss on the lips.

Bobby smiled weakly. "That's good medicine," he whispered, and she almost couldn't hear him.

She smiled. "Anytime." She touched her hand to his forehead again. "You're warm," she commented.

He coughed again. "Drink?"

She checked his bedside pitcher and saw that it was nearly empty. She gave him what was left, then said, "I'm going to go refill this for you."

Bobby closed his eyes, and when she came back with more water, he was sound asleep.

* * *

"Thanks, Mike," Alex said, taking the bag from his hands.

"It's nothing," he said, shrugging it off. He walked past her and looked in on Bobby, who now had oxygen running under his nose again. "He okay?"

"A setback, but they say he'll be fine," she explained quietly. "Is there, uh, aftershave in here?"

"I got you everything you need." His phone rang, and he stepped out into the hall to answer it. Alex set the bag beside her purse and looked at her love. He hadn't said much today, preferring to spend his waking moments quietly rubbing the fingers of her hand. He said more when the hospital staff was in the room, and those mostly complaints. Mike stepped back inside, still holding his phone in his hand. "I got a call-out. You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Mike. Thanks."

"Tell him I stopped by," he said, and then left the room. Alex pulled Bobby's shaver out of the bag and looked at it closely, wondering if it would be better to shave him while he slept or wait until he awoke.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

_It wouldn't change anything._ Alex tucked a sheet into the cracks in her father's rough couch as she thought. She grabbed another sheet and shook it out.

_Even if we weren't together, I would still feel this way about him. I would still worry. The only way to avoid this kind of thing is… not be a cop. That wouldn't be fair to Bobby. He couldn't be anything but a detective: everything about him was made for this job. And the years of experience just finely tuned his natural abilities._

_ Ah, hell,_ Alex thought as she finished transforming the couch into a single bed. With the blanket spread on top, she slid herself in between the sheets. She smiled. _Way more comfortable than without sheets._

She laid on her back and closed her eyes. Her day replayed in images in her mind, and she felt that familiar tightness in her chest. _Can't turn off the worry. I'll just have to live with it until he's well again._ Her hand reached for the cross pendant at her neck, and she said a silent prayer.

* * *

Bobby reached his hand up to scratch his face and was surprised to find yesterday's beard was gone. He rubbed all over, and found only short stubble. He opened his eyes and put the puzzle together again. _Hospital, yes, that's right. Hopkins' killer shot me. What was his name? H- H- Haskell, that's it. Haskell shot me._ _Geez, that was stupid. I'm still in the hospital. Alex was here. I wonder if Alex is here?_

He looked around, but found the room empty except for a much smaller assortment of flowers and balloons.

"Good morning," she said from the doorway.

Bobby turned his head back in that direction and smiled at her. She walked over to him, and his voice was hoarse. "Just thinking 'bout you."

She felt his forehead with her hand, then kissed him. "You look better. No oxygen today."

He felt his whiskers again, and she grinned at his expression. "I did that yesterday while you were asleep."

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. You haven't looked in a mirror." He rewarded her with a grin.

They were interrupted by the nurse making morning rounds. She checked Bobby's vitals and raised him up to a sitting position in the bed. "Dr. Stearns will be making rounds this morning, she announced before leaving the room in a whirl.

"No work?" Bobby asked Alex.

"I wanted to see you first. I'm going in a little late."

"Haskell?" he asked.

She was surprised. It was the first time Bobby had mentioned anything about the case. "Yeah, we're tying up the loose ends."

He nodded, and ran his tongue across his teeth. "I wish I had ice cream," he said, and she was surprised again.

"Maybe you can," she said. "Let me go ask." She came back moments later. "No ice cream, but they did say you can have either jello or a popsicle. What'll it be?"

"Popsicle," he said. "Red."

* * *

Masconi sauntered up to Eames' desk and waited for her to look his way. When she did, he said, "We found that phone. It was in the dumpster in the alley behind Haskell's place. Then some kid got hold of it and tried to sell it. Got it in tech right now, they're copying and retrieving everything they can." He looked at her as if he expected a lecture.

Instead, Alex smiled and nodded. "Good work, Masconi," was all she said.

"Eames, Logan," Ross called from his office.

"How's Bobby?" Ross asked matter-of-factly as she walked in.

"A little better today, sir," Eames replied.

"Good," he said, tracing his finger over the last paragraph in the report on his desk. Logan came in and stood with his back to the wall. Ross hardly looked up at them when he spoke. "We have a new case. Logan, your partner is attending that conference in LA, so I'm going to pair you with Eames on this one. He picked up a file and passed it to her across his desk.

"Art heist," was all he said.

Logan followed Eames out to her desk, complaining once he was out of the captain's earshot. "…not exactly an art connoisseur. Cap must've missed the memo."

"Yeah, well, it's not exactly my forte, either, Logan, but I'm on it." She opened the file and he leaned down, reading over her shoulder. "Art's more Bobby's thing." She was annoyed by his proximity and waved to Bobby's seat. "Pull up a chair, would you?"

Logan backed off, and wheeled Goren's chair out and over to Eames' desk. He sat down.

"The Whitney museum," she summarized as she read. "A traveling exhibition came into town, supposed to open tomorrow, but the curator found a key piece is missing. A work by Georgia O'Keefe. Museum reports evidence of a break-in."

Mike smiled at her. "Let's go," he said.

* * *

To Alex Eames, Mike Logan was your typical cop. He was a tough guy, street smart, a player, and the kind of guy you wanted as a brother but not necessarily a boyfriend. After that awkward moment when he almost got in the driver's seat, she navigated the city streets and pondered what kind of a partner he would be, short term or not.

Not that she didn't respect him, she did. She'd seen his work and they'd occasionally helped each other out on a case. She knew he was a good cop. He just wasn't really her type.

_Same thing you said when you met Goren,_ she told herself. She pulled into the loading dock at the museum and took a deep breath, determined to make the best of it.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

It was the cleanest store room Logan had ever seen. It looked as if the crates were whisked away as soon as the art was removed, and the floor swept immediately, too. Logan stood by Eames as she spoke to the curator, but his eyes were giving the room a thorough scan.

"And that was when we noticed this," the man explained, waving to the detectives to follow him as he walked further back into the storage room. "Do you see it?" He asked.

Both detectives, in spite of their years of experience, were baffled. The curator pointed out a small pile of sawdust next to one of the crates. "My staff would never leave something like this."

Alex stepped forward and squatted next to the tiny pile. She turned her head from side to side and then stood. "You have excellent powers of observation, Mr. Durham. We'll take it from here. Thank you."

As the man walked away, Logan stepped close to Eames and gave the sawdust his own inspection. "That's it?"

Eames chuckled and pointed to the crates stacked in the corner. "Let's look over there," she said. He followed her, and they visually checked the stack. Eames called over the photographer. Once he was done, she and Mike carefully lifted the topmost box down out of the way. Then they worked together to move the next two boxes. This revealed a grate over a large intake vent. They let the photographer shoot again, then one of the crime scene workers pulled a screwdriver out of a toolbox and removed the screen.

A framed painting stood inside the little cubby, leaning against the side. The photographer snapped pictures, and the detectives sent for Mr. Durham.

* * *

Even though they'd already recovered the painting, the case was panning out to be very complex. Obviously, it was some kind of inside job, even if the insider only gave the thief access. The curator had a fit when the CSU tried to dust the painting for prints; he finally relented. No prints were found. Apparently the museum staff always wore gloves when handling the art, so the oils in their skin wouldn't damage it.

They confiscated every screwdriver in the place and sent them to the lab, along with the screws from the metal grate. For good measure, Mike asked them to take the grate, as well.

They interviewed every employee present and got the names and contact information for every employee not present. They discussed each person as Eames drove them back to the office. Mike didn't go on and on about their mannerisms the way Bobby would; but he did admit to having "gut feelings" about one or two of them.

Alex wasn't ready to hang her hat on any of them yet. She stopped the car on the street to drop him off. He looked over at her.

"It's getting late, and I need to go see Bobby," she explained.

Logan gave her a lopsided grin and took the file in his hand. "I'll make some calls, see what I can dig up. Tell the big guy I said hello."

* * *

He was watching a ball game on the television , if you could call it 'watching.' His eyes were staring in the direction of the tv, but he wasn't reacting to any of the action onscreen. Alex noticed he was more reclined than in the morning and his left hand was wrapped solidly around the bar in the bedrail.

"Who's playing?" she asked, interrupting his trance.

He blinked and looked her way. "Oh, uh," he cleared his throat. "I dunno, college ball. Kentucky and Notre Dame." His voice seemed to give out on the last words.

She looked him over, then cupped his face with her hand. "Hi," she said. When he smiled for her, she added, "Boy that shaving job didn't last long. You want me to do it again?"

"I can do it," he said quietly. He reached over and took her forearm in his hand. "Alex," he said.

"What?"

"I'm… I'm not going home for a while, am I?"

She slid his hand from her arm down to her hand. "Bobby, I don't know. I'm not a doctor."

His face flashed anger, then softened. "You know what I mean."

"Bobby, look. It may take a while, but that's okay. The important thing is you're here. You're going to be all right."

He looked in her eyes, and it suddenly dawned on him how hard this must be for her. He set aside his own feelings and swallowed hard. "Sorry. I just want to go home," he explained.

"You will, just as soon as they tell us you can."

She sat with him, watching the game. His mood stayed the same until he got some special visitors. They hung around the door a moment until Bella gave them a nudge.

"Hi Bobby," the boys said, almost in stereo.

He gave them a genuine grin. "Boys!" He said happily.

Bella put her arms on her sons' shoulders and watched them converse with him. "You look better this time," Cisco said. He seemed relieved.

"Bobby, we been praying for you! And Mama let me light a candle at Church!"

"That's good, Felipe, thanks." Bobby looked them over, and continued to smile. "How's school?" he asked.

"I got an A on my math test," Cisco said. "It was all subtraction."

Bobby nodded his approval.

"My teacher says we can't wear costumes to school on Halloween. So we're gonna just have crazy hair that day or something," was Felipe's addition to the conversation.

"What will you do?" Bobby asked him.

"I want a Mohawk, but Mama said I can't get it cut for crazy hair day, so then I thought I could just use that spray paint stuff for hair, you know, and do like all kinds of blue and purple and maybe even gray!"

"You're such a dork," Cisco said. "Why would you want gray hair?"

"Bobby has gray hair."

"Cisco, don't call your brother names. He can have whatever color hair he wants on that day."

"Sorry, Bobby," Cisco said. He turned to his mother. "Mom, can I get one of those cokes from that machine?"

She rooted in her purse and gave him a handful of coins. "Ten minutes," she said. "Take Felipe with you. He gets one, too."

"Be right back!" Felipe shouted to Bobby, and as Cisco gave a quiet wave, they were out of the room in seconds.

"Hi," Bobby told Bella.

She smiled at him. "The boys are right. You do look better."

He nodded politely. "How are… things?" he asked her.

"He hasn't come by again. Alex gave me her number in case he does."

Bobby shot Alex a look of approval. "Your… laundry?" he asked.

"We're getting by," she said. "I started going on Saturday instead. During the day, it's not so scary, but I have to wait longer for a machine."

"I never thought I'd wish I could go to the Laundromat," he said. "Sorry."

Bella glanced at Alex, and both women moved forward. They each picked up one of his hands. "You have nothing to be sorry for," Bella said. "I'm just glad you're healing."

Alex squeezed his hand. "Isn't that just what I told you?"


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

It was a new day. Liz was staying with her Dad, so Alex had gone to Bobby's apartment for the night. Her excuse was to do some cleaning, but she knew it was just to stay with him, somehow.

She dragged herself out of the bed, and turned on both the sink and the shower to warm up the water. It had been hard at first, sleeping in his bed without him. When she finally slept, she slept hard. Alex rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair.

* * *

"You're bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning," she said to Mike.

He held up his Major Case coffee mug. "High Octane. You find my notes from yesterday?"

"Yeah, I'm going through them now." Alex read the bottom of the page and looked up at him. "So who you want to check into first? Miles?"

He nodded. "He seemed kind of… hesitant with his answers on the phone. Be interesting to see how he does face to face." He drank another swig of coffee. "How's your partner?"

Alex smiled. "6 a.m., and all was well," she announced.

* * *

"I th-thought you asked me everything on the phone last night," Daryl Miles said as he let the detectives into his apartment.

"You're off today?" Mike asked, ignoring his comment.

"Y-yeah. I go back to work on Sunday night."

"What exactly do you do at the museum, Mr. Miles?" Alex asked.

"I explained that on the phone," he answered, annoyed.

"Humor me," she said.

"I…I unpack the crates, I inspect the art, if needed, I clean the piece, and then I hand it over to Ivanov to display it in the gallery."

"Are you the only one who unpacks the crates?"

"No, there are several of us."

"How many people does it usually take to set up a show like this?"

He shrugged and unwrapped a piece of gum, then tossed it into his mouth. "That depends when the shipment comes in. If we have a lot of time, then Durham just has me or Kristin do it. If we're in the crunch, he calls in everybody.

"Everybody, meaning… everybody? Or do you mean everybody who does what you do?" Logan asked, as he made no effort to hide his inspection of Miles' wall calendar.

"Only certified restorers are allowed to unpack the art."

"So not everybody, then," Mike said.

"Mr. Miles, who do you think would try to do something like this?" Eames inquired.

"Geez, I don't know. I've worked there for a couple of years. Everybody seems so… serious about the work. I can't imagine who would take a chance like this. You know, sitting in that vent could have permanently damaged the piece."

"Pick somebody," Mike encouraged. "Just for kicks."

"Well, I guess I'd say one of the custodians. There's one guy, Adams, he's kind of new."

* * *

As they drove through traffic that afternoon, Eames' phone rang. She handed it to Mike in the passenger seat. He answered it for her. "Eames' phone," he said. She caught the change in his body language right away. "Yeah, uh, she's driving right now. Hold on."

Mike held the phone away from his ear. "It's the hospital."

Alex scoured the street for a place to pull over, but the curb was lined with cars. Already in the right lane, and at a dead stop thanks to traffic, she put the car in park and turned the hazard lights on. She held out her hand and he handed her the phone.

"This is Alex," she said. She listened intently. "Is he all right?!" Mike watched the worry set in her face. "Okay, thank you." She hung up the phone and turned to him. "Bobby… he got out of bed, and fell. They said he's got some cuts and bruises, but they're worried he may have more damage in his wound."

"You want to go to the hospital?" Mike asked.

"Do you mind?"

"No, let's go."

* * *

Alex pulled the car into a space in the hospital garage.

"Look, I can go talk to Adams, and pick you up after," Logan suggested.

Alex's mind ticked off everything they knew about Adams.

"It's only to question him, he's not even a suspect."

_Bobby only wanted to question Haskell,_ she thought. "No, look. I'll only stay long enough to make sure he's all right. Wait for me. Please."

Logan nodded and followed her through the hospital to Bobby's room. He leaned against the doorjamb while she went in.

His IV line was now in his left arm and he had new adhesive style bandages on his right forearm and on his temple. He was awake, and he glanced away from her and the firestorm that was sure to come.

"You all right?" she asked, taking him by the chin and turning his head towards her.

He nodded.

Emotion washed over her. "What were you thinking?" she asked.

Bobby's breath caught, and he considered withholding the answer from her. "Can't go home… if I can't walk," he said, at last.

Without thinking, she leaned over and kissed his lips. "Bobby, just let them tell you when you're ready. Or at least wait until someone's with you to help."

In the doorway, Logan's head snapped and he looked out at the busy hall. His detective mind pieced everything he knew together, including the feminine items he'd seen at Goren's apartment when he'd gone to pick up his shaver. He walked stiffly down the hall, thinking this was more than he wanted to know…

* * *

"Something on your mind?" She finally asked Logan as they approached the car.

He looked around as if making sure no one could hear. "You and Goren… I saw you kiss."

Alex's heart stopped momentarily. _Shit! What was I thinking?_ "Uh… yeah. Uh, Logan, get in." She got in the driver's seat and turned on the heater. He slipped into the passenger seat and shut the door, staring at her expectantly.

"Look, Mike. I know the rumors that go around. But this is new for us, really. It wasn't until a few weeks ago—"  
"Look, I don't need a play-by-play. I just wanted to verify what I thought."

"Well, yes."

"Okay."

"You won't-?"

"Not planning on it."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." He gave her a sarcastic grin. "No. Really. Don't….mention it."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Questioning Adams got them nowhere. They sat in the café, notes spread before them, and bickered about the next step over evening coffee. "I still get an itch every time I think about Miles," Logan declared.

"I hear you, but what about Ivanov? These connections could very well lead to the Russian Mafia."

"What do they want an art thief for? And a bad one, at that."

"Maybe it was an initiation rite."

"He would have done better to just pop somebody. It takes finesse to get away with something like this, and our guy didn't have it."

"Logan, didn't you ever try something, not knowing if you could do it or not?"

"Sure."

"Well, don't you think Ivanov maybe was doing just that?"

He frowned and looked at his watch. "Okay, look. It's getting late. You want to put some pressure on Ivanov, let's do it. I wanna go home and get a drink."

"Deal."

* * *

Bella sat with Bobby, watching him eat a small portion of jello. One jiggly spoonful fell off the spoon, bounced off his chest, and landed on the sheet beside him. Bella swooped in with a napkin and cleaned it up.

"Thanks," he said.

"It's getting late. I wonder where Alex is tonight?"

"Work," he said. He didn't know for sure, of course, but he knew what the job was like.

"Have you heard from her?"

"Not since lunch."

Bella looked torn. She checked the time again, a worried look on her face.

"If you need to go, it's okay," Bobby said.

"Martha gets… tired… when she has the boys a long time."

"Go ahead, Bella. Alex will be here soon."

She smiled at him. "Let me help you clean this up, first." She took the jello cup from him and gave him his drink. He sipped from the straw while she piled the spent containers inside the covered food tray the hospital staff had brought. She set the table close enough for him to put his drink there when he finished. "I wish I could do more for you," she said with a shrug.

"You've done a lot. Go home to your boys. Tell them I said hello."

She cupped his cheek with her palm, smiled, and then tucked her purse over her shoulder and left.

Bobby lowered his bed and stared at the ceiling a while before he finally turned on the television.

* * *

"Mr. Ivanov," Alex said in greeting.

"How can I help you, detectives?" He said. He had a slight accent.

"We just have a few questions," she said. She opened a manila folder she'd brought with her and passed a photograph to him. "You know this man?"

"No, why?"

Logan stepped in and spoke up. "Because you go to the same bar as him every Saturday night."

Ivanov looked at the picture again. "Oh, oh, yes. Now I recognize him. Sorry about that."

Logan gave him an icy stare. Alex continued. "This man is known to have connections to the mob," she explained. "A pretty dangerous fellow to know."

The Russian shrugged. "It's a big city. All kinds of people."

"You never finished college, did you Yuri? Can I call you Yuri?" Alex's voice was sweet.

"I went two years, then I got the job at the museum. I didn't need college after that." He blushed. "It's expensive."

"Nice place you got here. Museum pays well?" Logan said.

"Well enough," said Yuri.

"But still," Mike said, leaning in. "You like to have a little extra. You know, in case you find a nice girl…"

"I have what I need," Ivanov explained.

Logan touched the picture on the coffee table in front of him. "Maybe this guy, gave you a chance to… earn some extra cash?"

"By stealing a painting?" Yuri exclaimed. "This is outrageous."

"I don't think you did it, Yuri," Alex said. "I think you just… dropped your ID, or accidentally left it in your coat pocket. We do know the last time the dock door opened, it was with your card."

"Okay, yeah. It was cold outside, and I forgot my gloves. By the time I swiped the door open, my hands were freezing. I stuck them in my pocket, card and all. Then I hung my coat on the peg by my locker and went into the gallery.

Alex looked at Logan triumphantly. He gave her a slight nod.

"Thank you, Mr. Ivanov," she said. "You've been very helpful."

* * *

Visiting hours were over, but Alex snuck in to see him anyway. The tv was on, flashing blue against the white of the sheets on the bed. She stepped to his side, and saw he was asleep. Alex sighed and sat down beside him.

She thought about their relationship. It was inevitable, really. He'd been her best friend for years. When Alex thought about every tough time she'd had in the years she'd known Bobby, he'd been there for her, every time. When her mother died, she was deeply entrenched with her family, but still he'd called every day. He'd come to the funeral home, and to the funeral. After she'd given Nate to her sister, he'd gone out of his way to listen to her, to give her a shoulder to cry on. She'd shown everyone how happy she was to give the baby to her sister: everyone except Bobby. When she'd tried to keep up the façade for him, she'd fallen apart.

She'd tried to be there for him, too, when he would let her. She'd realized a while back that the thing to do was just make her presence known and he would turn to her when he was ready.

Alex's thoughts drifted to the plants by the window. Tomorrow, she would have to go through them again, and get rid of the ones that were wilting. She yawned, and used the remote to turn off the tv.

* * *

Bobby shushed the nurse and gestured to Alex, sleeping in the chair with her head cocked to one side.

The nurse grinned at him. "Sorry," she whispered. She went about her business, taking his vitals, whispering her instructions to him.

"Thank you," Bobby whispered to her before she left.

Alex stretched in the chair and winced when she tried to straighten her head. Her hand went to her neck and she opened her eyes, only to find him watching her. "Hey," was all she managed to say.

He smiled. "S'better ways to sleep together," he teased.

Alex rubbed her eyes, careful not to move her neck too suddenly. "I came in last night, and… I guess I was tired."

He reached out with his hand, and she took it. He reeled her in. She stood and stepped close to him. She could see the love in his eyes, as he pulled her in for a kiss. What she didn't know was how worried he'd been when she didn't show last night.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

As Alex looked through the growing file in front of her, her thoughts were drifting. She was preoccupied.

"Earth to Eames," Mike said, waving a hand in front of her face.

She snapped out of it. "Oh?"

"You're pretty out of it today."  
"Sorry." She frowned and looked at the file again. "Bobby asked me… he wants to help us."

"He what?! Geez, the guy's barely out of intensive care!"

Alex shrugged. "I know. He's bored. He hates tv, unless there's a million channels to choose from."

"Get him a book or something."

She shrugged again. "Reading is reading. Still, I'm worried it could upset him."

"So don't do it. Give him a paperback instead."

"I'll think about it."

* * *

After a day's tromping around the city, interviewing other employees of the Whitney Museum, Alex went to the hospital. Bobby was asleep. She went through the plants and got rid of the ones past their prime. She kept all the cards and displayed them in the windowsill.

He heard her shuffling things around and rubbed his eyes. Bobby groaned.

Alex went right to his side, a smile at her lips. "Hi there," she said. She watched him struggling to wake up. "Wow, you were really out of it," she commented.

"Hmmm…" He reached for the bed remote and raised his head up higher. "I'm tired," he explained. "I went for a walk."

Alarm bells went off in her head. "Bobby…"

"The nurse helped me," he said in his own defense. He turned his head to the side, indicating the small room at the doorway. "I went to the bathroom and back."

Alex's lips spread into a wide grin. "That's great!"

"They said they'd give me real food if I can manage it."

"Oh, Bobby! That's good news!" She leaned in and kissed him. "You'll be home in no time!"

His dinner came, and she helped him eat it, arranging the food where he could reach it, spoon-feeding him the soup. When Bobby finished, she rolled the tray back out of the way. He lowered the bed and closed his eyes a moment.

"You're fading," she said.

He opened his eyes. "How's the case? Whitney Museum, right?"

"How did you know?"

He pointed to the tv. "News." He stared at her until she felt compelled to speak.

"Bobby, I thought about it, really. I just don't know if it's a good idea for you to get wrapped up in a case while you're so… fragile."

"Fragile?!" he said angrily. "Last week! Last week, I was fragile. Now, I'm…"

"Bored, I know. But you know how these things go. Emotionally, you may not be ready for it."

If it were possible, Bobby Goren, a seasoned detective in Major Case squad, pouted. "It's an art thief, not a murderer."

"Still, Bobby… I'm working it. Working it without you. If you got the idea I might be in danger or something…"

"If? _If?!_ What do you think I spend all my… time… thinking about when you're not… here?" His voice softened and wavered. Her hand was on his arm. He took a ragged breath. "Please, Alex."

"Okay…okay." She ran her hand through his hair. "I'll bring you something tomorrow. You need to rest tonight. Get some sleep, Bobby." She kissed his forehead and he shut his eyes.

* * *

She stayed long enough to walk him to the bathroom in the morning. He needed a shave again, but he insisted he would do it himself. By the time she got him back to his bed, he was out of breath. She tucked him in, gave him a kiss, and promised to come back later with something substantive to read.

* * *

"Okay, so we know Ivanov was involved, just not to what extent… I still don't like the smell of Miles."

"I know," Alex agreed, rubbing her hand against her chin. "They don't seem the types to be in cahoots…" Alex's cell rang. "Yeah? Oh. Tonight? Yeah. I'm not sure what time. I need to see Bobby first, then I can come over. Yeah, okay. Thanks, Liz." She sighed heavily, then dropped her phone back on her desktop.

"Problems?" Logan asked.

"I don't think I've been to my apartment in a week," Alex whined. "My sister. My Dad's hobbling around on crutches right now, and she's been staying with him the past couple of nights. Now it's my turn again."

"Look, you can knock off early, give you time to see Bobby and maybe even go home before you head over there. I'm gonna check in with the gang unit and see what they've got on the Russians."

She smiled with appreciation. "I owe you, Mike. I'll call you later."

* * *

She popped in before three o'clock, and was pleasantly surprised to see him sitting in the chair she had been occupying for so long. She beamed at him. "Out of bed, I see," she said.

He grinned back. "I needed a change of scenery. " He looked at the sunshine coming in the window. "What time is it?"

"Almost three. Logan's covering for me. I have to stay with Dad tonight."

Bobby was disappointed she couldn't stay with him, but he was glad she wouldn't be working.

"I brought you this," she said, handing him a file folder. "Don't get too carried away. Just background on the people who work at the museum."

His smiled widened. "Thanks."

* * *

Mike Logan was not good at sitting on his hands. He got his report back from the gang unit, and he left a message on Alex's phone. Then a thousand possible plans of action popped into his head while he waited for her to call him back. He sent an email to update Ross, who was out of the office for some reason. Then he checked his own email for the umpteenth time.

Finally, he went out to get dinner. He decided if he hadn't heard back from her by the time he finished, he would follow through on one of his many plans.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

"Hi Dad," Alex called. "Hi, Liz."

"Sorry I can't stay to talk, Alex, I've got to get going. Bye Dad!" Liz called over her shoulder and whooshed out the door. It closed behind her and Alex stood, quietly looking at her father and adjusting to this other part of her life again.

"How's Bobby?" her Dad asked.

Alex smiled. "Better. He's eating real food and walking around a bit."

"Good to hear," John said, and he meant it. He hobbled from the kitchen to his chair, leaning on one crutch.

"How are you?" she inquired.

"Ready to have my house to myself again." He sat in his recliner and expertly raised the footrest. "No offense, honey," he said, stuffing his crutch between the chair and the wall.

"Looks to me like you're doing well."

"Tell your sister."

She grinned. "I will." She took off her coat and hung it on the back of a kitchen chair. Then Alex dug her fingers into the pocket and retrieved her cell phone. She saw the missed call from Logan and frowned. "Shit," she muttered. She checked her voicemail and heard both messages; the first his recap of info on the Russians. The second, his plan to talk to Ivanov again before the night was out. She looked at the time. "Shit!" she said again. She dialed Logan and pulled her coat back on one arm. "Logan, it's Eames. Don't do anything without me. I'll be right there." She hung up the phone, admonished her father to stay out of trouble and rushed out the door, slipping her coat on the other arm as she went.

* * *

As it turned out, Logan didn't get the message. He wasn't at Ivanov's place, and another phone call did no good, since he failed to answer. Alex slumped over the steering wheel, thinking hard, trying to envision Logan's next move.

She sat up slowly, put the car in drive, and pulled out into the blur of headlights.

It was only two blocks to the bar, but she felt it wise to keep the car close. She parked around the corner and walked to the door, coat pulled up tight around her body.

As the heavy door closed behind her, she gave her eyes a moment to adjust to the room. Several eyes noticed her, as well. Most went back to what they'd been doing, but a few watched her every move.

She walked the perimeter of the room, scanning for any sign of Logan. She saw a glove on the floor near a booth, and her stomach lurched. Alex squatted down and retrieved the glove. It could have been his. It was the right color and appeared to be the right size. Glove in hand, she continued toward the back, toward the bar.

Alex climbed up onto a stool near the end, noting to herself that the only other places he might be were the john or the kitchen. She could see both from her perch, and made a silent pact with herself to give him thirty minutes before she really started to worry. She laid the glove on the bar and ordered herself a drink.

"Hey, you found it," Logan said from behind her.

She spun around and if looks could kill…

"My glove," he explained. "I must have dropped it when I left."

"You're done here?" she asked.

He nodded.

She tossed a few bills on the bar, waved to the bartender, and stood up. "Let's get out of here," she said. "We need to talk."

* * *

"I worked Rashenko, and I got nothing. I don't think the mob had anything to do with it."

Alex was only half listening. She still had a knot in her stomach, and she was furious. They reached her car, and she motioned to the door. "Get in."

Mike knew from her tone that he was in hot water. He did as he was told, though. She was Senior Partner, after all. He shut the door while she climbed in and fired up the heater.

"If you're working with me, you can't go off half-cocked like that anymore," she said.

"Half cocked? Now, wait a minute!"

"You could have waited for me to return your call. I'm not going to put up with this, Logan."

"Put up with-!" Suddenly, it dawned on him why she was upset. "You were worried about me. You thought I'd get myself in a bind… like Goren."

"Damn right! Think about it, Detective! You go off _by yourself_ to question a known member of the Russian Mafia? I never dreamed you would be so stupid."

"Okay, okay. It's not like I walked up and said, 'Excuse me, Mr. Mobster, I'm a cop here to ask you some questions about your recent illicit activities…' " Mike frowned and saw her lips were mashed together in a thin white line. "I played it smart. I spoke to him like your average Joe. I didn't treat him like an accessory. I asked a few questions and left. That's all."

She turned her head and gripped the steering wheel between her fingers. Mike continued, "You know as well as I do that you can't do everything as a team. If I thought it was any more dangerous than usual, I would have waited for you. Look, Alex," Mike said, "what happened to Bobby… it was a fluke. Nobody could have seen that coming, not even him. And it's not your fault. Ten to one he would have come back without a scratch like any other day. And you were flying solo that day, too. It might have just as easily been you."

He was right. She didn't like it, but he was right. She pushed her body back against the back of the seat and stared at the windshield straight ahead. After a long time, she turned to Mike. "I gotta get back to my Dad," she said.

He shrugged. "Sure. I'll see you in the morning." He climbed out of the car, shut the door, and smacked the roof a couple of times with his hand. Then he turned to walk to his own vehicle.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Alex walked in the door and found her Dad just where she left him. He had a glass of ice water in one hand, and the television was playing some old black and white war movie.

"Everything all right?" he asked.

Alex realized she'd never told him why she had to run out in such a hurry. "Yeah. I was just… worried about my temporary partner. He was all right. How are you?"

"Well, now that the party's over, I'm getting a bit of a headache." He grinned at her and winked. "It was a hell of a party, though!"

"Dad."

"I'm fine. I had a quiet evening with the television set. A man's heaven." He handed her his glass of water and closed up the recliner. Then he grabbed his crutch. "And now, I'm ready for bed." He got to his feet with the help of the crutch and leaned over to kiss Alex on the temple. "Good night, darlin'."

She smiled. "Good night, Dad."

* * *

Alex's phone rang at 3:30 a.m. She came out of her fog quickly and answered it without evening trying to read the screen. "Eames."

Bella was keeping her voice calm, but there was a definite frantic tone behind it. "H-he called me. He said he's going to kill me. Alex, I'm scared!"

"Okay, calm down," Alex said, her mind racing. "Can you go to Mrs. Kohl's?"

"He already knows about her. He'll look there, too."

"Go to Bobby's. It's close by. I can meet you there." Alex made sure she knew exactly where and then hung up the phone. She dressed quickly and left her Dad a note.

* * *

Alex made sure Bella and the boys got in okay. She helped her put the boys to sleep in Bobby's bed and then found an extra blanket for Bella to use on the couch. "Did you hear from him again?" she asked.

"No. We left as soon as I could rouse the boys."

"Okay. You're safe here. I'll go check it out." She started to leave, then turned back. "The food's all gone bad by now. I'll bring you something for breakfast."

Alex hurried down the stairs and walked the two blocks to Bella's building. She had borrowed Bella's key, and she let herself in. She sat in the dark on the couch, her weapon close at hand, wondering if this had been an idle threat.

* * *

By 6:30, there had been no sign of him. Alex gathered her things and headed for the door. She opened it and stepped into the hall just in time to be tackled.

Her training kicked in immediately. She popped him in the groin and rolled out of his grip, drawing her weapon on him as she got to her feet.

In that moment, he realized she wasn't Bella.

"That's right," Alex said. "You just made a big mistake."

* * *

It was a busy morning for a girl with little sleep. She brought breakfast to Bella and the boys, then to her Dad. Then she stopped by the hospital only to find him asleep. By the time she got to 1PP, late, she was dragging.

Logan looked at her with concern. "You look like hell."

"Thanks. Just what a girl wants to hear in the morning," she snarked.

"What happened?"

Alex wasn't ready to confide in him. She just shrugged. "I dropped off those dossiers to Bobby. I don't know if he read them yet. He was sleeping this morning when I came by." A yawn overtook her. "I think we should dig a little deeper into that Margrave girl. Something about her isn't sitting well with me."

"You got it, senior partner," he said. It was a joke, but it was the wrong thing to say. Alex bit her tongue and walked away, heading for the coffee pot.

* * *

It was a day of research: each of them digging deeper into the lives of the museum workers, searching for anything that would flag them with a motive. At the end of the day, Alex dragged her tired bones away from the desk, snapping her laptop shut. "I'm calling it. I'll see you tomorrow, Logan."

"Eames." Her eyes met his. "Take care of yourself."

* * *

She drank another coffee before heading in to Bobby's room. She took a deep breath and steeled herself, wanting to hide all traces of what was nagging at her.

A smile, and a kiss, and the first words from his mouth were "What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?"

He rattled off everything his detective brain had picked up in the five seconds since she walked in. "Bags under your eyes, wrinkled clothes, and you're favoring your left side. What's wrong?"

She wanted to lie to him, to carry on like she did with Mike. But that was the old way, before they were lovers. She sighed. "Let's just say I'm feeling stretched a little thin."

"And your side?"

She sat down carefully, took a deep breath, and told him about Bella's adventurous evening.

"You didn't call the local? Why didn't you call the local?"

"No way to know if it was credible or not. This guy hasn't been in her life for a long time, and from what I hear, threatening to kill her is a new thing." She looked at Bobby. "Look, I don't need you to second guess me. What's done is done. You asked, I told you. That's what happened."

He held out his hand, and she took it. Bobby tugged, and she got back to her feet. He slid his hand up under her shirt. She started to pull away, but he said, "Let me look," so softly that she did just that. "It's bruised," he said. "Ribs okay?"

"I think so. It's just a bruise."

He lowered his hand and her blouse fell back into place. It had been so long since he'd put his hands on her, that she felt a very real loss when he pulled it away. Alex sighed quietly and sat in the chair again.

"I read the file," he said.

"What do you think?"

"Does Margrave have a history with Miles? I mean, they're both restorers."

"Funny you should ask. We just dug into her today. They went to school together."

He digested this new information, but said nothing. She smiled. Same old Bobby. He wouldn't say anything until he'd thought it through. "Nature calls," he said, and she watched him slide his feet off the side of the bed and stand. She got up too, and prepared to support him as he walked, but Bobby held a hand out to stop her. "I can do it," he said. Alex nodded and followed a few steps behind him.

After he'd maneuvered himself back across the room, she stopped him before he got off his feet. Alex put her arms around him. They both savored the hug, but she noticed Bobby's shortness of breath and pulled away. He got in bed, and she tucked the covers over him.

Once his breath had returned, he spoke. "Look into Ivanov. See if he knew her outside of work."


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

She stayed at the hospital longer than she had intended, but he finally insisted she go home and get some sleep. Alex decided going home was out of the question: she was too tired, and it was too far away. Instead, she went to Bobby's place.

She wearily stepped down the hall and stuck her key in his door. As she swung it shut behind her, she reached for the switch that would turn on his chairside lamp. She flipped it up: nothing. She lowered it and flipped it up again. The apartment remained black as night. She whispered a curse and started to grope her way across the room.

When she banged her knee hard on his coffee table, she let loose a string of cuss words that would have impressed her buddies in vice. Alex felt her way to the couch and sat on it, rubbing her shin with her hand. Finally, her brain kicked into gear. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and opened it, using its light like a flashlight. She made it to the kitchen and retrieved an old lighter and lit the dusty candle that sat on the shelf above Bobby's kitchen sink. She carried it to the table and sat down to think.

The hall had been illuminated… all at once, Alex smacked herself in the forehead. His bills! She hadn't thought to pay his bills for him since he'd been in the hospital. Again, a jumble of curses escaped her lips. She wondered if the gas had been shut off as well. She carried her little light to the sink and turned on the hot water. She waited. And waited. Finally, she was satisfied. The gas was out, too. She spat the mother of all expletives into the darkness. No lights, no hot water, no heat. She sighed. It was going to be a hell of a night.

Just to vent her anger, she called Bobby's Super. He wasn't happy about the interruption. "Look, isn't there something you can do? He's in the hospital, for Christ's sake!"

The Super paused, as he realized that Goren was the detective he'd heard about on tv. He sighed. "There's nothing I can do until tomorrow. I will put in a call when their office opens in the morning."

Alex softened. "Thanks. I-I'm sorry for taking it out on you."

"I'll do my best," he said, before hanging up.

Alex ended the call and rooted around his apartment. An hour later, she had three more candles lit, had changed his sheets and had all of the blankets she could find piled on his bed.

* * *

Alex went to the hospital first, feeling as if she'd been scraped off the pavement like an old piece of gum. Her eyes were itchy and heavy, her head was pounding, and that cold shower hadn't lasted long enough to make her feel clean. Still, she was dressed. Her makeup and hair were as sharp as any other day, and she was going to trudge through it, by God.

He was sitting up in the chair, drinking a cup of coffee. Alex smiled, in spite of how she felt. He'd come so far in the last week: losing the oxygen, the IV, and starting to get around on his own. It was a relief.

"Good morning," she said, and her voice was like sandpaper.

His expression changed to concern.

Alex kissed him lightly on the lips and sat on his hospital bed. "We have to talk," she said. "Look, I know it's not my business, and I don't want to pry, but… we've got to come up with a way to get your bills paid."

His eyes widened.

"They cut your power last night."

He sighed and rubbed his hand wearily against his face. This sucked. He didn't want Alex to see his finances. Hell, he didn't even like to look at his bank balance. "Uh… okay. Uh…" Bobby struggled, trying to think of some way to take care of this without asking her to do it.

"I don't even know where you keep all that stuff," she added.

He thought about writing checks, the old-fashioned way, but he didn't even get paper statements any more. Not to mention that would cost him about twenty dollars in stamps. "Laptop?" he asked, but then he remembered that he'd set up the security codes on his home computer and he honestly couldn't remember anything beyond his password. He'd never be able to get into his bank account from a foreign computer. "No," he said sadly. The only thing to do was either leave the hospital or let her take care of it for him. He rubbed his face again.

"Maybe I could just run over and pay the one bill, while we figure something out," she offered. He was looking more and more tired, and she was concerned about him.

Bobby sighed and closed his eyes. "Is there a pen and paper around here?"

Alex hopped up and rooted through the tray table's tiny drawer. She found a pen and hospital stationary. She traded him for his cup of coffee and snuck a sip while he wrote the information down. It was the weakest coffee she'd ever had. Nothing more than hot water, really.

Bobby handed her the notepad and she gave him his cup back. "It's all online. Uh, you have to… uh, do the math ahead of time… before you start sending payments… sometimes, there's… uh… not enough."

Her heart broke for him. It must have taken a hell of a lot for him to share that with her. Not wanting to embarrass him further, she tore off the top sheet and tucked it into her purse. "No worries," she said. "I'll take care of it tonight." She kissed his cheek, then his lips, then looked into his eyes until she had succeeded in reassuring him. "I'll call you later," she whispered.

With another kiss, she was out the door.

* * *

"You look worse than yesterday."

"Logan, you really need to work on your morning greetings," she said, frowning at him.

"Hey, I call it like I see it. What's wrong with that? Bobby okay?"

She gave him a half smile and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

She sat down across from him, and he slid her his cup of coffee. "I didn't drink out of it yet."

Alex gratefully took a drink. She sighed. "I forgot to pay his bills for him. They shut off the power."

"You stayed at his place?"

"I was tired; it was close." She took another sip of coffee. "No lights, no heat, no hot water." After another drink she added, "I'll get it all squared away today."

"I'll try to take it easy on you," Mike said.

"Thanks."


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Mike had just arrived with lunch. They spread it out on the desks between them and Alex popped the top on her soda can. Before she could return to her seat, two familiar figures approached.

Mike turned his head in the direction of the guests and stayed on his feet.

"Hi Dad," Alex said, giving him a kiss on the cheek and offering him her chair. He was walking with a cane now, and he leaned it against her desk after he sat down. "Liz," Alex said. She could see the mood her sister was in.

Mike shook John's hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Eames. I've heard a lot about you."

"Dad, Mike Logan," Alex said. "And this is my sister, Liz."

Mike shook her hand as well. She smiled politely and stared at her sister. "We need to talk," Liz announced.

"Sure," Alex said, but there was reluctance in her voice. "Come with me." She led her sister to the closest interview room.

Mike's eyes followed after them. "Everything okay?" He asked Alex's Dad.

"Sure. Sisters, you know."

Mike held out a carton to the older man. "Eggroll?"

* * *

Alex folded her arms and braced herself for what was coming. The door clicked shut and Liz began. "Dad told me you left him alone the other night."

"It was only a couple of hours, and it was an emergency."

Liz scowled and paced the small room. "You know, I understand that you and Johnny have tough jobs, and I try to do everything I can to make it easier for you, but the one time that I ask you to come take over for me, you act like it's some kind of joke."

"Oh, Liz, you're overreacting."

"Am I? Am I, Alex?" Liz's voice was raised. "I seem to recall the last time you all thought Dad was fine on his own, it wasn't but a few days before he was in the hospital again!" She chanted a litany of the things Alex had done in the last few months that had fallen short of the mark.

Liz culminated her lecture by shouting, "Now, I know I'm not a public servant like the two of you, but I have a job, too, and a family and a life, and I deserve the chance to live it!"

Liz expected her sister to yell back: it's what they did. They argued, fought hard, and then once the air was clear, they hugged and laughed and everything was fine. Only this time, it was different. She hadn't seen Alex like this since they were kids, but she saw her body language and she knew what was about to happen. Shaking, Liz quickly closed the slats of the window blinds.

Alex jerked away from her sister's hug, but she allowed her to keep a hand on her shoulder. Alex, tough, strong, resilient Alex, broke down. She kept her back to her sister and stared at the seam where the two walls came together until the tears blurred her vision and fell freely to the floor.

* * *

Logan looked up again and saw that the blinds were closed. He got to his feet, but the old man tapped him gently with his cane. "Sisters," he reminded the detective.

Mike nodded and sat back down.

* * *

In the midst of the sobs, Alex blurted it all out. She was a failure as a caregiver, she couldn't take care of their father properly, or Bobby, or Mike or Bella. She told Liz about Bobby's bills, and how she was terrified to let Mike do anything alone, since Bobby's shooting.

Her chest heaved and she cried out, "They need so much, and I'm only one person!"

Liz listened, rubbing small circles on her sister's back. She'd forgotten that Bobby had no family. She hadn't realized the pressure Alex was under. Finally, Alex worked to calm her spasming breath. Liz said quietly, a tear in her own eye. "I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't know."

Alex regained her composure. She was cop Alex again, shoulders squared against whatever might come at her. Liz dropped into the chair beside her. "I just came from taking Dad to the doctor. He said he looks good. He doesn't need the crutches anymore, just the cane."

Alex nodded. "That's good."

"I'm still worried for him to be alone."

Again, Alex nodded.

"But…" Liz's voice softened. "I guess we'll just… have to."

"I can still check on him," Alex offered.

Liz shook her head. "No, Alex. I won't ask that of you. Not until Bobby's better."

* * *

The women returned, and Detective Logan could tell Alex had been crying. He tried not to stare, just waited silently while she retrieved her purse and went with her sister to the restroom.

John smiled at him. "See? Sisters."

Mike grinned and gave the old man another eggroll.

When the ladies returned, Alex hugged her father and sister goodbye while Mike shook their hands politely. They sat at their desks and he glanced over at her. Although she sported fresh make-up, it was still obvious that she'd been crying. Wisely, he chose not to say a thing about it.

Just as Alex swallowed her first bite of lunch, her phone rang. She picked up her cell and said, "Eames…. Okay, thanks. Thank you, Mr. Russo."

Mike gave her a questioning glance.

"Bobby's Super got the utilities back on. Now I just have to pay his bills tonight, and it should all be fine."

Logan smiled and wolfed down the rest of his lo mein.

* * *

Bobby's sleep pattern was returning to normal, which meant he wasn't getting a lot of it. He split his time between the chair and the bed, and finally set himself to pacing the room until he was out of breath.

He sank back into the chair and scowled. After indulging in a few minutes of feeling sorry for himself, he snatched up the file Eames had brought him and perused it once more.

* * *

Her phone rang again. This time, her face was anxious when she answered. "This is Alex," she said.

"Hi, Alex."

Instantly, she was relieved. "Hi, Bobby." She could see Logan smiling. He gathered up the empty cartons and walked away, giving her some privacy.

"I read through the file again."

"And?" she asked, a small grin tugging the corners of her mouth.

"What if they were all in on it together?"

"_All _of them?"

"It's possible. None of them has the character to try something like this alone… but as a group, they could… rev each other up."

She started to respond to what he said and then realized he was breathing hard into the phone. "Bobby, are you all right?"

"What? Oh, uh… yeah. I was just… pacing." He sat himself in the chair again.

Alex's eyes crinkled as she smiled again. "I'll throw it by Mike, see what he thanks."

"Oh, uh… okay."

"Take it easy, Bobby."

"Okay."


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Alex sat at Bobby's home computer, reading and making notes of his balances and his obligations. She frowned at the figures and looked at the previous month's statement. Unable to stop herself, she looked back another month, and then another, and then she let out a sigh.

His finances were a mess, but looking back, she could see that it really wasn't that way until the suspension. His mother's illness had taken a toll, but even that hadn't been the catalyst for the mess he now found himself in.

She clicked back to the current month and studied her notes. She carefully subtracted the full amounts for the most urgent bills, starting with the electric. Once that was done, she took out the loan payments and then studied his credit card bills. Satisfied, she punched in the numbers one by one and hit 'send' each time.

The deed was done, and now she felt guilty for snooping. She grabbed a beer from the box she'd just placed in the fridge and settled in on the couch. Her phone was on the coffee table in front of her. She picked it up.

"Hello?" Bobby said after three full rings.

"Hi, Bobby."

"Alex," he said, and she thought he may have smiled.

"I, uh, I just wanted to tell you I finished paying all your bills. I didn't touch your savings and you have about $250 left in checking to get you through to the next check."

He cleared his throat. "O-okay."

"How are you?" she asked.

"Good, I think."

"You sound good."

"I walked a little farther today," he said. For a moment, he reflected on how drastically his life's priorities had changed.

"Bobby, that's great!"

"They let me eat a burger tonight, too."

"You'll be home in no time," she said.

"Alex?"

"Yes, Bobby?"

"Are you all right? All this running has got to be hard on you."

Alex thought about her day, her meltdown with her sister. "I'm okay," she said. _I'm okay now._ As she sat, she flipped the tv on and ran through a few channels. "Hey Bobby," she said. "You wanna watch a movie with me?"

"I'll put on my shoes," he said. "You're buying, right?" he joked.

"It's on HBO. You got that at the hospital, right?"

"Uh, yeah," he said.

"Look okay?" she asked after a pause.

"Sure." She heard the little motor humming on his bed.

"Up? Or down?" she asked.

"Up."

Alex smiled. "Good."

"Get me some popcorn?" he teased.

"Okay, now's when you yawn and stretch and—"

"drop my arm over your shoulders," he finished for her.

She grinned. "I love you, Bobby."

"Oh, wait!" he said. "I forgot. I got you some… skittles."

* * *

The next morning, Alex was at work bright and early. She checked in with the invalids by phone and promised to see them after work. She handed Mike a cup of coffee as he walked to the desk, a large envelope in his hand.

"Thanks," he said, taking a sip.

"What's that?" Alex inquired.

"I don't know," he said. "It was in my mailbox when I got here."

"Return address?"

He looked it over. "Nada." Mike set it down longways on the desk and tore the seal open with his fingers. He reached in past the jagged edge of the paper and withdrew a small pile of photographs.

Alex got up and walked around to look at them over his shoulder. The first was a picture of Ivanov walking arm in arm with Margrave. The next was Ivanov talking to Miles in a booth at a restaurant.

Mike moved that one aside. The third picture was of all three of them standing outside the Russian bar where Mike had lost his glove.

Sliding that picture away revealed a picture of Mike talking to Alex beside the SUV. The license plate number was clearly visible. The last picture was of the two of them leaving 1PP together.

For a moment, the detectives were silent.

"Rashenko," Mike breathed. The color drained from Alex's face. "Why's he helping us?" Mike asked her.

She swallowed hard. Her voice was unsteady. "Ivanov was sloppy. He has no interest in him." After a moment, she looked back at the last two pictures. "Why the threat?" she said.

It was Mike's turn to swallow. He shrugged. "He just wants to light a fire under us. He doesn't know any other way to do it."

It was a weak argument, but was the only hopeful one either one of them could think of. She stood up straight. "We need to see the Captain."

"I think it's time for a pow wow," Mike agreed. He gathered up the pictures and walked with Alex to Ross' office.

At the sound of the knock, Ross called, "Come in." He watched the two detectives enter and Logan flopped into the chair in front of his desk. "I take it you have something to report."

"We have reason to believe they were all in on it together," Alex said, and Mike handed him the pictures of the museum employees. He held the other two back.

Ross looked them over. "They hang out after work. So?"

"Not one of them disclosed to us that they join up after hours. In fact a few pointedly lied about it." Alex was doing the talking as Mike watched his Captain's reaction.

"What about those?" Ross asked, gesturing to the other photos.

Mike kept them face down. "They're nothing useful."

Ross stared at him, hard. Then he held out his hand. Reluctantly, Mike gave them up. "Who sent these?" Ross asked.

"Vlad Rashenko," Mike replied.

"Holy hell."

"He sent the others, too," Mike said. "He's just trying to help out, in his way."

Ross turned his attention to Eames. "Watch your asses. And notify the gang unit. Now… what's your plan?"

"Well, sir," Mike began, "_after_ we watch our asses we're going to bring them all in, put them in separate rooms and interrogate the hell out of them."

"We could use some help," Alex added.

Ross smiled. "I'll join you," he said. "Let me know when you're ready."


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Bobby was eating breakfast when Alex arrived at the hospital the next morning. "Sorry, I'm late," she said as she dropped into the chair beside him.

"You look better," he said.

"I slept last night. At my place. Overslept, in fact."

Bobby smiled with approval. "You needed it."

"I may look better, but I still feel like crawling back in bed. You're looking good, yourself. What's for breakfast?" She asked, peering at his half-empty plate.

"Biscuits and gravy, but I think I'm done." He dropped his fork onto the plate and pushed the tray away. She helped him move it fully aside. Bobby raised his hand and touched her sleeve.

With a gentle smile, she took his hand in hers and rested one hip on the mattress. Alex raised her other hand and stroked his cheek. Without words, Bobby turned and kissed her hand.

* * *

By early afternoon, all the players were in place. Ross had Margrave in Interrogation 1, Eames had Miles in 2, and Logan had Ivanov in 3.

_Interrogation_ 3

Logan leaned in. "You botched it, man. Rashenko doesn't want to dirty his hands with you."

Ivanov couldn't hide the bristle of his neck when he heard Rashenko's name. "I don't know what you're talking about," he lied.

Logan just grinned at him. After an uncomfortable silence that made Ivanov's knee bounce uncontrollably, Logan leaned forward. "Tell me about Kristin."

He looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

Logan shrugged, glanced around the room. "You know, you and she…"

"She's not- we work together, and that's all."

Logan grinned. "Sure. That's all."

_Interrogation 1_

"It's a slick little plan, really, Ms. Margrave," Ross said in his most polite tone. "You uh… you orchestrate the whole thing?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well," Ross said as he ran his hand through his unruly hair, "You went to school with Miles. You've been friends forever."

"Colleagues, not friends."

Ross smiled. "You dated him in college."

"It didn't last. He's not my type."

"Funny you should end up working together."

"Art Restoration is a very small network."

"Is it?" Ross wrote that down. "So did you know Yuri before working for the Whitney Museum as well?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed. "Yuri was hired off the street. He had no experience."

Ross scribbled another note in his pad, this time about her haughty attitude. "He finished two years as an art major in college. That's nothing to scoff about."

"He didn't finish, did he, Captain?"

Ross smiled. He really was enjoying this. "According to him, he didn't need to. The Whitney Museum pays him well." Ross leaned forward. "Which leads us to his motivation for working with you on this heist."

_Interrogation 2_

"Daryl, the cat's out of the bag, now. Kristin is probably in there right now, blaming it all on you. You are the one with senority, after all. Restoring paintings. You have easy access…"

"She has the same access as me."

"So tell me about it, then. How did you get wrapped up in this?"

Daryl's shoulders sank. He thought about what Kristin might be saying about him in the other room. He berated himself for loving her. "I… I've loved her for years," he admitted. "When we were in college, she went out with me a few times, but it didn't pan out."

Alex glanced at the two-way and Detective Masconi turned and knocked on the window of Interrogation 1. Ross excused himself and stepped out, joining Masconi in the observation room.

"He's admitting he's in love with her," Masconi said.

"Go tell Logan. I'm going to listen in for a while."

Miles continued his story. "When she came to work at the Whitney, I thought we had another shot at it, you know? But then I noticed the way she looked at Yuri."

"She and Yuri are a couple?"

"I don't know. No. Well, yes. Maybe. I don't know. I just know she seemed interested. I never saw them do anything more than a hug or something. I was hoping it was just in friendship."

"Go on," Alex encouraged.

"I asked Kristin out and we all met up at Yuri's bar afterward. That's when he told me about it. I was… shocked, at first. But Kristin seemed to like the idea, and I thought maybe… If I went along, she might…"

"She might be interested in you?"

"It's stupid, I know. But all I was supposed to do was unpack the crate and go to the john. I wasn't supposed to have anything to do with the actual theft of the painting. One of them was supposed to do that."

"One of them?"

"I… I got kinda sick that night and they were talking about it when I was in the john. I honestly don't know which one took the painting."

In the observation room, Ross smiled, turned, and walked back into Interrogation 1.

_Interrogation 3_

"He was in love with her, Yuri! Surely you knew that!"

"Puppy love, Mr. Logan. Kristin loved me."

"Hmmm…" Mike tossed the photograph of Yuri and Kristin arm in arm on the table where he could see it. "It's Detective Logan. And I guess that explains this. I mean, she kind of looks like she loves you. Unless of course, she was just using you."

_Interrogation 2_

Masconi knocked on the window. Perturbed, Alex excused herself and joined him. "What is it?"

"Your cell phone rang. I thought it might be important."

Her aggravation was replaced by anxiety. She took the phone from him and checked the screen. It was the hospital number. She called Bobby's room.

"Hello?"

"Bobby, what's going on?"

"They're discharging me!" He said happily. "I just need… uh.. . a ride home."

Alex turned and looked at Miles through the glass. This was a really bad time. "Okay, look. I can't do it, but I'll make some calls and get someone to come pick you up. DON'T go anywhere on your own," she warned. "Do you have a coat?"

"N-no."

"Just stay put until someone comes for you."

"Who are you going to call?" He asked.

"Everybody," she said.

"Maybe Lewis," Goren suggested.

"Lewis is out of town, don't you remember? He's not due back until January."

"Oh yeah."

"I'll find someone. Don't worry." She paused and could have sworn she could hear his thoughts. "And Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't go on your own."

"Okay."

"Promise?"

A long pause. "Okay, Alex. I promise."


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

_Interrogation 3_

"Kristin's in there spilling it right now, Yuri. You come clean with me now, we'll see what we can do."

Yuri shifted in his seat. He wondered if Kristin would say anything, and if she did, how much she would say. He thought about Miles, and decided what he would do.

"Miles put the idea in her head," he said. "I tried to talk her out of it. He was trying to impress her or something."

Logan shook his head. He showed him the photograph of him with Miles at the restaurant. "And what was this, you trying to talk Miles out of it? Quit the games, Yuri. We're putting the pieces together while you're wasting time making up lies." Logan stood up and walked toward the door, where he leaned against the wall with folded arms. "I know it was you, Yuri. You want me to tell you what happened?"

Ivanov stared at the picture, and scratched one sweaty palm.

"You got the idea you could impress Rashenko. You thought with your art connection, you could do something really classy, something more than your average thug. Only thing was, you couldn't do it alone. You didn't have access to the paintings until they were in the gallery. You needed help."

Yuri tried to maintain his composure.

"You went after Kristin, thinking if you were good enough in bed, she'd join your little party. Only she doesn't like you very much, does she?"

"Kristin loved me!"

"She pretended to… for a while…"

"It was Miles! That damn Miles! He screwed everything up!"

"How'd she do it, Yuri? Did she dump you before or after the failed robbery?"

A venomous look crossed his face. "She gave me the idea. She said she liked men with power, and Rashenko could give me that power. Kristin, she…" His eyes drifted to the picture of them arm in arm. "That night, she told me she loved me."

Logan quietly nodded.

* * *

Bobby sat in the front lobby, waiting impatiently for some unknown person to show up and give him a ride. He almost called a cab, but as soon as he set foot outside the hospital, the bitter cold drove him back in. He had no business in that cold without a coat, and he knew Alex would make sure someone brought him one. Goren sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"You look like you're ready to go home," a cheerful voice said.

Bobby couldn't hide his smile as he looked up at Jimmy Deakins. The man threw him a heavy winter coat. "Thanks," was all he said.

* * *

_Interrogation 1_

Ross reentered the room after a quick briefing with Logan. He sat down and smirked at the woman in front of him. "Your friends turned on you, Ms. Margrave. It's all out in the open, now." He looked over his shoulder as Alex entered the room and stood by the wall.

Margrave looked at her and wondered if it was true. Seeing the smile on Alex's face, as well, she decided it was. "I want a lawyer," she said.

"Sure thing," Alex said cheerfully. She and Ross left the room together.

* * *

Bobby was resting happily in his recliner, watching NOVA, when he heard the key in his door. He watched her enter, and clicked off the tv.

Alex's smile was the biggest he'd seen in a long time. She was beautiful. "Hi," she said.

Bobby got up from his chair and walked over to her. He took her in his arms and kissed her. His tongue tasted hers, and he lingered there as long as she let him. Finally, Alex rested her head against his chest, listening to his breath.

"You better sit down again," she said. "You sound like you just finished a marathon."

Bobby sat down, this time on the couch so she could sit beside him. He shook his head. "That was just a wind sprint," he said. He snuck a quick kiss and grinned.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

He reached out and ran his hands along her curves. "Good, great," he said, but he was still panting.

She took his hands in hers, stopping him. "Bobby… you're out of the hospital, but you're still recovering. We'll take it easy for a while."

He knew she was right, but he was disappointed. "Are…" He swooped in for a short kiss, "are kisses allowed?"

"As long as they don't lead to more."

He smiled and kissed her again. His need was simultaneously satiated and growing. She broke off the kiss, and cupped his cheek in her hand. "What did the doctor say?" she asked.

Bobby blinked and turned, trying to clear the lustful fog from his head. "Uhm… just that… I uh… I need to rest." He looked back at her, and saw she was waiting for more. "I have to go to my doctor within a week."

"Okay, so maybe you can… ask him what we're allowed to do."

He blushed, and she laughed. "Bobby," she said. "I am so happy that you're home. I just don't want to do anything that would set you back." She kissed him. "I've been waiting a long time to do this." She closed her eyes, enjoying the next embrace, enjoying the gentle pressure of his lips on hers.

* * *

Bobby slept late in the morning. The comfort of his own bed, coupled with the scent and feel of his Alex beside him lulled him into the best sleep he'd had in over a month. Alex stayed beside him, enjoying the weight of his arm over her, until the time demanded she get up. She slipped carefully out of bed, ignoring the small sigh that crossed his lips. She leaned down and kissed his temple, then headed for the shower.

He was still asleep when she made her breakfast, and he was barely stirring when it was time for her to leave. She brought him breakfast in bed and gave him a warm hug. "I'll call you later."

"I know you will," he said. He kissed her goodbye twice before he finally let her go.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

It was lunchtime when Bobby heard his doorbell ring. He hadn't bothered to get dressed all morning, so he pulled on a pair of sweats and carefully pulled an undershirt over his head.

Looking through the peephole, he saw it was Alex. Bobby unlocked the door and opened it wide. "I brought you some company," Alex announced as she walked inside. Her father followed behind, cane in hand.

"Hello, Mr. Eames," Bobby said.

"How are you, Bobby?" the older man inquired.

"Oh,you know, tired," he replied. Bobby sat down on the couch and invited Mr. Eames to have a seat as well. Alex was in the kitchen, unpacking lunch from take-out bags.

"Alex wants me to stay here all afternoon," John said, "but you tell me if you don't like that idea."

Bobby smiled. "N-no, it's fine. My house is your house," he said.

Alex smiled in the kitchen and breathed a sigh of relief. She grabbed two loaded plates and carried them to the living room, handing one to each of the men. "Pasta," she said. "I figured you could both use some carbs."

"Is this from-?" Bobby asked, but she interrupted him.

"He wouldn't let me pay for it," she nodded. "He says to tell you he's glad you're home. Now, what would you like to drink?"

"A beer," they said in unison.

"Not for lunch. If I let you two start drinking now, I'll be scraping you off the floor by the time I get off work. Pick something else," Alex said. "Iced tea? Soda?"

They told her what they wanted and she returned a few minutes later with full glasses. Then she went back to the kitchen and prepared her own plate, watching her two men with amusement.

* * *

When Alex returned after work, she found Bobby asleep in the chair and her father's cane lying forgotten on the floor by the coffee table. She heard noises coming from Bobby's room, and walked down the hall to investigate.

Her father was lying on the floor, his head under the sink.

"Dad?"

She surprised him and he only just managed not to bump his head on the pipe above him. He moved over and sat up, a wrench in his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"He had a leak, I was fixing it."

"He has a Super, Dad."

"Well, Darling, the Super hasn't fixed it, has he? So I did."

Her expression softened. "I know he'll appreciate it. How is he?"

"In good spirits. He fell asleep an hour ago."

"I was going to… invite some people over for pizza tonight. You think he's up for it?"

"How many people?"

"Just some of his friends, and us."

"I think he'll manage." She held out her hand and helped the old man to his feet. "Did you forget your cane?"  
"Damn thing just gets in the way. Now where's that beer I've been waiting for?"

* * *

It didn't escape Alex's attention that Bobby had eaten exactly as much as Francisco. She watched him carefully as he walked back to the living room, noting that his steps were a little slower.

Bella joined her in the kitchen. She followed Alex's gaze to Bobby. "We should go," she said quietly, smiling. John, Mike, and Bobby were entertaining the children with stories. Mike seemed to have a hard time keeping his stories clean. He caught himself in time to stop a curse from passing his lips. Bobby supplied a substitution immediately, and the story continued. "He's so much better," Bella mused. "I'm glad he's home."

"So am I," Alex said. "Thanks, Bella."

Bella shrugged. "I should be thanking you and Bobby." She turned and raised her voice. "Cisco, Felipe, time to go. Give Detective Bobby a hug," she said. She watched as they hugged Bobby, John, and even Mike. She got the boys into their coats and slipped her own on. She shook hands with Mike and Alex's father, then gave Bobby's hand a squeeze. Then she took her little family and left.

"Hey listen, Alex, I can give your Dad a ride home if you wanna… uhm…" Mike blushed.

"Great idea, Mike. Thanks." More goodbyes, and soon Alex and Bobby were alone. She handed him his half-empty beer and sat beside him. "You tired?" she asked, nestling in beside him.

Bobby nodded. "Thanks," he said. He kissed her hair and then took a drink of his beer.

"Bobby, I've been thinking…" Alex paused, searching for the right way to broach the subject. "You know, the other night, I… I had a good look at your finances…" She felt him stiffen slightly. "I was just thinking," she continued. "How much are you spending at the Laundromat?"

"Uh, about ten dollars," Bobby guessed.

"Bella probably spends more than that. Ten dollars a week, for… 2 years? Is that what you told me?"

"Yeah."

"Bobby, that's enough to buy a washer and dryer."

"What do I need with a washer and dryer? I don't have room here," he complained.

"No, but Bella has room. Then you could go over there once a week, and she can do her laundry whenever she needs to instead of it being such a big production and worrying about getting mugged…" Alex turned and looked him in the eye. "Well, what do you think?"

He smiled. "I think it's a great idea."

* * *

Bobby's laundry basket was on the floor beside him, empty. Cisco and Felipe sat on opposite sides of the game board and waited patiently while Bobby rolled the dice.

He counted out his move and handed the dice to Felipe. "I'm never going to catch you," Bobby said. "You're too far ahead."

"Don't worry, I'll catch him," Cisco warned. The buzzer went off, and Bobby got to his feet. He took his basket and walked to the dryer. He pulled his clothes out of the drum and into the basket.

Bella wiped her hands on a towel and smiled at her boys as she passed. She sat down on her couch and rested her head against the back cushion. "Thank you, Bobby," she said when he came back in the room.

THE END

* * *

A/N Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed!


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